The Act of Killing (2012)

A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.

Directors:

Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous (co-director)

Stars:

Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 53 wins & 41 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anwar Congo	...	Himself - Executioner in 1965
Herman Koto	...	Himself - Gangster and Paramilitary Leader
Syamsul Arifin	...	Himself - Governor of North Sumatra
Ibrahim Sinik	...	Himself - Newspaper Publisher
Yapto Soerjosoemarno	...	Himself - Leader of Pancasila Youth
Safit Pardede	...	Himself - Local Paramilitary Leader
Jusuf Kalla	...	Himself - Vice President of Indonesia
Adi Zulkadry	...	Himself - Fellow Executioner in 1965
Soaduon Siregar	...	Himself - Journalist
Suryono	...	Himself - Anwar's Neighbor
Haji Marzuki	...	Himself - Member of North Sumatra Parliament (as Marzuki)
Haji Anif	...	Himself - Paramilitary Leader and Businessman
Rahmat Shah	...	Himself - Member of Parliament
Sakhyan Asmara	...	Himself - Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport

Storyline

A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.

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Plot Keywords:

musical number | death squad | mass killing | reference to guantanamo bay | surrealism | 

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Taglines:

A story of killers who win, and the society they build

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK Denmark Norway

Language:

Indonesian English

Release Date:

8 November 2012 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Actul de a ucide

Filming Locations:

Medan, Indonesia

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,450, 21 July 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$486,919

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$722,274

Company Credits

Production Co:

Final Cut for Real,Piraya Film A/S,Novaya Zemlya

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 159 min (extended) 95 min (TV) 96 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An audience member after a screening in Berlin said that what director Joshua Oppenheimer had done was "like having SS officers re-enact the Holocaust." Oppenheimer responded that it is not the same at all 'because 'the Nazis are no longer in power', while the death squad members shown in the documentary are still being protected by the Indonesian government.

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Quotes

Jusuf Kalla - Vice President of Indonesia: [addressing a large Pancasilla gathering] The spirit of Pancasilla Youth - which people accuse of being gangsters - Gangsters are people who work outside the system - not for the government. The word "gangster" comes from "free men". This nation needs "free men"! If everyone worked for the government - we'd be a nation of bureaucrats. We'd get nothing done. We need gangsters to get things done. Free, private men who get things done. Use your muscles! Muscles aren't for beating people up - though...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The name "Anonymous" appears 49 times under 27 different crew positions in the credits. This was done to protect the identities of those crew members who feared retribution from the former Indonesian death squad leaders.

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Alternate Versions

The 115-minute version is generally the theatrical version. It was presented at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. The 159-minute version competed at the CPH:DOX festival and won its main award. It is also the main version being released in Indonesia.

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Connections

References Ghost Rider (2007)

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Soundtracks

Don't Worry, Be Happy
Composer/Lyrics: Bobby McFerrin (as McFerrin)
Courtesy of Universal Music Publishing MGB Scandinavia AB

User Reviews

Absolutely astounding

Watching this film should be mandatory for every man, woman, and child in the world.

I would leave it at that but IMDb has a minimum of 10 lines of text to prove you "mean business" with your review.

This film was utterly astounding in every sense, most importantly in the way it just lets a strange, inexplicable, simple truth emerge on its own. It is not a film that makes you feel better about the world or yourself, but rather one that makes you remember, oh yes, all this is real, and it really matters.

Without providing a spoiler, the final scene also underscores why documentaries are made, and the very real, very important things that utterly cannot be faked with all the acting, special effects, and make up in the world. That life is real.

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I wanted to make one other note to my initial impression, since this film remains my favorite film of the year and possible of a several- year. It is worth highlighting the fact that Mr Oppenheimer spent a good eight or ten years of his life making this film, spending his life in Indonesia with a camcorder and progressively greater levels of logistical and technical help (from what has been made public about the film). Films like this don't get made in a year. Not at all.

It is worth reflecting on the connection between the time you invest in something, and what you get out of it. You get the same impression when you read, for example, one of the major novels of a couple centuries ago, but it is rare to see artistic works this big made anymore. War and Peace wasn't made in a year either. I somewhat feel for Mr Oppenheimer and the expectations that will precede his next work, whatever it is. Nothing like this will get made in the next two or three years, and that makes me the more grateful for this work.