Review of The Act of Killing (2012) by Jonathan B — 11 Jun 2015

If you're like me, and I would assume most Americans, you have little to no knowledge of the Indonesian genocide that happened in 1965-66 where the government hired death squads to butcher half a million people it accused of being "communists." To make matters even scarier, that same government remains in charge to this day, right down to some of the same people who carried out the task, and there's never been any sort of public apology or remorse for their actions, much less anyone being punished or brought to justice.

The Act of Killing follows one of the survivors in particular, Anwar Congo, as he and his buddies recreate what they did in mini film scenes, only fitting, you see, since some of their gangster influences were from watching American cinema growing up. Congo at first sees nothing wrong with his past deeds, in fact often rejoicing and celebrating in them, but gradually begins to open up about having nightmares about the hundreds of people he killed, until in the end getting physically sick and seeming to understand just what he actually did for the first time in his life. Whether it's sincere or merely acting for the camera, only Congo knows for certain, but it makes for one of the most chilling looks into human nature you're likely to encounter, and hopefully will raise more awareness about this horrible atrocity, in Indonesia itself and worldwide, so that it can finally be reconciled with and never happen again.

Side note: I would not recommend watching the 167-minute director's cut, because it is really looong and has a habit to drag.