The Act of Killing

[P3nT4gR4m]

Have you guys seen this film? It's fucking brilliant.

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

trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQhIRBxbchU

Okay so I managed to jack off to it but I had to keep thinking about tubgirl the whole time. Was hard work. 1/10

[Cramulus]

The sense I get from the trailer is not that it glorifies these people or their acts, but tries to shine a spotlight on how horrible they are, and bring some of that evil to the surface. Perhaps intensifying the horror by blending it with spectacle.

Honestly I think it looks pretty interesting. I'd be curious if the murderers changed their opinion during the course of the production.




ah, according to the wikipedia article, it had a pretty powerful effect on them

The primary subjects in the film, Anwar Congo and Herman Koto, have seen the film and neither feels deceived, according to Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer says that upon watching the film Anwar Congo "started to cry...Tearfully, he told me: 'This is the film I expected. It's an honest film, a true film.' He said he was profoundly moved and will always remain loyal to it".[20] A subsequent interview on Al Jazeera's program "101 East" revealed that Anwar had misgivings about the film and the negative reaction to it in Indonesia, which was causing problems for him. He confided these concerns directly to Oppenheimer in an apparent Skype conversation displayed within the program.

[Cramulus]

spoilers:

Invited by Oppenheimer, Anwar and his friends eagerly re-enact the killings for the cameras, and make dramatic scenes depicting their memories and feelings about the killings. The scenes are produced in the style of their favorite film genres: gangster, western, and musical. Various aspects of Anwar and his friends' filmmaking process are shown, but as they begin to dramatize Anwar's own nightmares, the fiction scenes begin to take over the film's form, leading the film to become increasingly surreal and nightmarish. Oppenheimer has called the result "a documentary of the imagination".

While some of Anwar's friends realize that the killings were wrong, others worry about the consequences of the story on their public image. Younger members of Pemuda Pancasila argue that they should boast about the horror of the massacres, because their terrifying and threatening force is the basis of their power today.

After Anwar plays a victim, he cannot continue. He says that he feels what his victims have felt. Oppenheimer, from behind the camera, points out that it was much worse for the victims, because they knew they were going to be killed, whereas Anwar was only acting. Anwar then expresses doubts over whether he has sinned or not, tearfully saying he does not want the memories of what he did to come back to him. He revisits the rooftop where he claims many of his killings took place, and gags repeatedly.

[Faust]

Throughout the whole movie I was split between crying my eyes out and laughing my ass off.

Yeah, I can see that from the trailer. Horrific scenes of villages burning. Some arshole with a directors beret wandering in and shouting CUT CUT CUT.

This used to be satire. This is the running man, this is the warning that's in Robocop. If it was fictional I would say it's brilliant, but it's not so all I can think of is I can't believe it's come to this.

How long before we start live streaming executions, or having Big Brother Syria edition.

Jeesus christ, no one is actually killed/hurt in the movie. Chill the fuck out.

I didn't say anyone was killed making it, no it merely makes circus animals out of the people who do kill people and puts a bunch of pretend victims with the thinly veiled excuse that it's a morality play as opposed to trying to make sensational TV.

Hrm maybe I wasn't clear:

We're not watching a documentary re-enactment of atrocities committed, we're watching reality TV about a killer making a documentary re-enactment of atrocities committed, and THATS what is icky.

It doesn't bother me that much either way. I'm not emotionally invested in whether this exists or not and wouldn't be horrified watching it. I'd be dismayed at what it represents.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The sense I get from the trailer is not that it glorifies these people or their acts, but tries to shine a spotlight on how horrible they are, and bring some of that evil to the surface. Perhaps intensifying the horror by blending it with spectacle.

Honestly I think it looks pretty interesting. I'd be curious if the murderers changed their opinion during the course of the production.




ah, according to the wikipedia article, it had a pretty powerful effect on them

The primary subjects in the film, Anwar Congo and Herman Koto, have seen the film and neither feels deceived, according to Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer says that upon watching the film Anwar Congo "started to cry...Tearfully, he told me: 'This is the film I expected. It's an honest film, a true film.' He said he was profoundly moved and will always remain loyal to it".[20] A subsequent interview on Al Jazeera's program "101 East" revealed that Anwar had misgivings about the film and the negative reaction to it in Indonesia, which was causing problems for him. He confided these concerns directly to Oppenheimer in an apparent Skype conversation displayed within the program.

Not only highlighting the atrocities, but also making an interesting meta-commentary America's relationship with "cinema" and reality TV vs. actual news reporting.

I agree with the OP that it's brilliant. And horrible. I don't want to watch it, but the impression I get is that it would be nearly impossible for any American to watch it without experiencing some severe cognitive dissonance, and that's not a bad thing.

[Lenin McCarthy]

I watched it a few months ago. It's difficult to describe. Brilliantly made, but still almost unbearable to watch. I don't think any somewhat sane human being would be able to watch it as pure entertainment.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I kinda want to watch it now, knowing that a warlord wretched in the place that he killed people.

As someone who is a staunch pacifist (unless it is a kill or be killed situation, which, really is unnecessary to begin with), I want to see that horror, that realization, that disgust, that repentance.

I want to see this murderer puke in the place where he killed people. I want to see that disgust.

I don't know if I can watch it though. I don't want to feel pathos for people who probably don't deserve my pathos since, well, it's just flat out wrong to kill another human, unless it is to guarantee your survival or the survival of another human, and an irrelevant argument if we would just stop killing each other.

[P3nT4gR4m]

if we would just stop killing each other.

That's my dream. We'll be a long time getting there, tho. We don't control the situation, yet. Instead we escalate it. Someone does something bad, bad on any level, we retaliate by punishing them with the equivalent level of bad. We do something bad right back. That isn't a good thing, it's twice as bad but that's so counter-intuitive it sounds ridiculous.

Punishment, retaliation, revenge... Makes sense on a - biological agents trying to operate in groups - level but, intellectually, it's so far beyond retarded it doesn't even compute. So until the intellect rules the biology, across the board, I reckon we're stuck in a world of escalating violence and nastiness.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

if we would just stop killing each other.

That's my dream. We'll be a long time getting there, tho. We don't control the situation, yet. Instead we escalate it. Someone does something bad, bad on any level, we retaliate by punishing them with the equivalent level of bad. We do something bad right back. That isn't a good thing, it's twice as bad but that's so counter-intuitive it sounds ridiculous.

Punishment, retaliation, revenge... Makes sense on a - biological agents trying to operate in groups - level but, intellectually, it's so far beyond retarded it doesn't even compute. So until the intellect rules the biology, across the board, I reckon we're stuck in a world of escalating violence and nastiness.

Humans are biologically programmed to work in tandem.

We just sometimes forget that other groups of humans are also humans. I dunno. Regardless of where my head is, the most sacred thing I can think of is life, because if you take it, it cannot be restored. Or at least not in the same way it was before.

[P3nT4gR4m]

if we would just stop killing each other.

That's my dream. We'll be a long time getting there, tho. We don't control the situation, yet. Instead we escalate it. Someone does something bad, bad on any level, we retaliate by punishing them with the equivalent level of bad. We do something bad right back. That isn't a good thing, it's twice as bad but that's so counter-intuitive it sounds ridiculous.

Punishment, retaliation, revenge... Makes sense on a - biological agents trying to operate in groups - level but, intellectually, it's so far beyond retarded it doesn't even compute. So until the intellect rules the biology, across the board, I reckon we're stuck in a world of escalating violence and nastiness.

Humans are biologically programmed to work in tandem.

We just sometimes forget that other groups of humans are also humans. I dunno. Regardless of where my head is, the most sacred thing I can think of is life, because if you take it, it cannot be restored. Or at least not in the same way it was before.

Meh, it is what it is. I'm not one to start a fight but, if I can't get out of one, fuck it, I might as well enjoy it

[Reginald Ret]

if we would just stop killing each other.

That's my dream. We'll be a long time getting there, tho. We don't control the situation, yet. Instead we escalate it. Someone does something bad, bad on any level, we retaliate by punishing them with the equivalent level of bad. We do something bad right back. That isn't a good thing, it's twice as bad but that's so counter-intuitive it sounds ridiculous.

Punishment, retaliation, revenge... Makes sense on a - biological agents trying to operate in groups - level but, intellectually, it's so far beyond retarded it doesn't even compute. So until the intellect rules the biology, across the board, I reckon we're stuck in a world of escalating violence and nastiness.

Humans are biologically programmed to work in tandem.

We just sometimes forget that other groups of humans are also humans. I dunno. Regardless of where my head is, the most sacred thing I can think of is life, because if you take it, it cannot be restored. Or at least not in the same way it was before.

I've recently heard sacred translated as 'set apart', so if life is sacred then death is even more sacred because that is apart from both living and rocks. It is one step more removed.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

The Eisenhower films showed us what we needed to know about genocide.  After that, it's just porn for weirdos.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The Eisenhower films showed us what we needed to know about genocide.  After that, it's just porn for weirdos.

Except that this is designed to get regular Americans to actually watch it. It's aimed at the people who have no idea the Eisenhower films even exist.

[Junkenstein]

Fuck it, I'm going to take one for the team and actually watch the thing. Not even watched the trailer so I'm going in blind beyond this thread.

I'll promise an honest opinion, for what that is actually worth.

[The Johnny]

Fuck it, I'm going to take one for the team and actually watch the thing. Not even watched the trailer so I'm going in blind beyond this thread.

I'll promise an honest opinion, for what that is actually worth.

Ditto, but i only promise to watch 15 minutes and we'll see.