Director's Cut

The Act of Killing is utterly frightening. It explores the darkest side of humanity, not just those who killed but specifically those who are proud to have killed. Worse still, it was an extermination and nobody onscreen denies that or seems ashamed. Some may see The Act of Killing as recklessly platforming these monsters, but they have power and influence within their society regardless, and The Act of Killing at least gets their atrocities on record and raises awareness of their crimes. There are no moments of meaningful self-reflection here, and plenty of vile statements, so there is nothing to ire about these murderers. The film does play with the concept of sin and putting the killers in the place of their victims, but this change of perspective only goes so far. One small ission of pain doesn't negate an entire movie about being proud of evil. In fact, it makes things more disturbing. A person, with all the emotional complexity that comes with being human, committed these acts. The most evil people are still able to be human, whether or not we want to acknowledge it.

Documentaries remain the most important form of cinema, and only a documentary could achieve what The Act of Killing does. It forces real people to have to justify their actions and capturing raw reality prevents hyperbole. In The Act of Killing, we actively see an informal alliance of gangsters, paramilitary groups, newspapers, and government officials embolden the most extreme anti-communist views and use that to justify extermination. It is incredible just how open the people on camera are. Some of them acknowledge that their actions were cruel and wrong, but most remain proud. Having to re-enact scenes from their past also forces to killers to question how they will be judged. The Act of Killing is not just a film on killing, but also a film about film. It is about the way stories are perceived when seen on a screen. People muse about how a man who takes revenge is seen differently to the original attacker, and an audience can therefore justify sadism in certain cases. Film is all about perception, and on camera we see how these killers want their actions to be seen. However The Act of Killing ensures their fiction is reduced to fiction, whilst their evil remains documented.

As a quick side note, it should be stated that the governments of the USA and the UK ed and enabled the killings this film is about. The West in general backed the removal of communists in Indonesia by any means necessary. At least 500,000 people were killed, if not millions. One person in The Act of Killing says war crimes are defined by the winners and that accusations against Indonesians are hypocritical given the US runs Guantánamo Bay and invaded Iraq. The murderers in The Act of Killing are evil people, but there are other people and nations that must also be held to .

The Act of Killing is a documentary like no other. It gives a perspective on history that is disturbing and yet rare to see. To hear from the side of evil, so directly, is scary. Cinema can bring us new insights into our world and its history, and The Act of Killing certainly does that. It is not a pleasant watch, and many people will find it repulsive, but I found it rather necessary. If these killers will never face justice, at least their crimes can be exposed and explained. Let these people have their fantasies, at least the truth is out there now.

2013 Ranked
My Top Films of the 2010s
My Top Documentary Films