By Vincent Whittaker.

Wow.

That was the only thing I could say about this film for a good hour or so after the credits rolled. This movie is powerful is a way that’s hard to overstate. Joshua Oppenheimer, brings us a startling vision that is often at times hard to comprehend. The premise of the film is simple but brilliant; give the leaders of Indonesia’s death squads in 1965 the opportunity and resources to reenact their real life mass murders in whatever visual style they like. What follows is an array of musical numbers, film noir style interrogations and war movie horror sequences, intercut with the death squad leaders on set having fun with real memories and atrocities that left thousands of communists dead.

These men were and are considered heroes in their native land and it’s difficult to watch in places as the charismatic Anwar Congo, a death squad leader and gangster, rejoices in tales of torture and his invention of a way of killing which left little blood to clean up afterwards. He talks of his love of American gangster movies and how he wanted to be cool like them. We’re introduced to many men who were instrumental in the genocide of over 100,000 suspected communists in 1965-66 and they all tell their tales happily, like they’re telling a nice little anecdote at a party. It messes with your head as they revisit interrogation rooms and dumping grounds for bodies. There’s a sequence which mirrors Bush’s famous “Now watch this drive” gaff. Or the truly haunting way in which they use the song ‘Born Free’, which will forever change the way you visualize that song.

Aside from all the reenactments and anecdotes we’re shown them as they live today, greeted as heroes and celebrities wherever they go and we watch as they go round stealing from local businesses for their political gains. This film it’s worth pointing out shows no archival footage of the killings nor does it antagonize the men involved. As the film goes on however it begins to take it’s toll on the men involved as they address the fact that in telling their stories they are revealing the truths being decades old lies, and what light this paints them in today. Anwar becomes increasingly distraught as he watches the reenactments and is shown the stark reality between how he perceived his actions and how they actually looked. Nobody is unchanged by making this film.

It’s impossible for anyone to be unchanged by this movie. The beautiful visuals and frank tone provide the audience with a truly haunting experience, that fully deserves the OSCAR it’s nominated for.  This should be essential viewing for everyone in the world and may very well become a mainstay on school curriculums from now on. 

Watch this movie but be warned that you can’t un-watch it.

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