In this blog post, I will examine “The Act of Killing,” focusing on Indonesia’s history and the perpetrators’ self-justification—revealed through the process of reenacting their past murders—as well as the guilt and inner transformation that emerge as filming progresses.

Prologue and Opening

The film begins with a scene of people emerging from the mouth of a fish, perpetrators and actors performing a peace ritual beneath a waterfall, and subtitles explaining the historical events that form the basis of the documentary.
It appears to have been set up as a scene depicting “the dead.” This is a scene in which the perpetrators engage in self-justification. Then, subtitles appear explaining the purpose of this documentary.
In 1965 Indonesia, during the coup, the military secretly killed over one million communists, intellectuals, and ethnic Chinese under the pretext of “anti-communism.” Forty years later, “Anwar Congo,” the ringleader of the assassination squad that orchestrated the massacre, is hailed as a national hero and enjoys a lavish lifestyle. Then one day, they receive a proposal to turn their “great” feat of murder into a movie.

“Would you like to reenact the massacre you committed?”

Anwar Congo, the leader of the massacre, and his friends, filled with excitement, write the screenplay themselves, take on acting roles, and proudly immerse themselves in reenacting the killings. However, as filming progresses, memories of the massacre resurface as unfamiliar terrors and nightmares, and the film takes an unexpected turn.

The Appearance of Anwar Congo

The film features scenes depicting the streets, the casting of actors, accounts of how communists were killed and the rationalizations used to justify the killings, as well as scenes showcasing Anwar Congo’s social status and wealth.
Anwar Congo is a mastermind of the military regime. Unlike the victims he targeted, he leads a highly respected life. Furthermore, he shows no sign of guilt while reenacting the murder scenes, facing them with a smile. This highlights the contradictions in their personalities.
The strength of ‘The Act of Killing’ lies in its approach of having the actual figures from that era appear in person to reenact the events.
The film depicts the process and consequences of the brutal killings of communists—or those accused of being communists—during the 1965 Indonesian military regime, as reenacted by the very leaders who orchestrated them.

The Appearance of the Pansilia Youth Organization

The film features a speech by the leader of the Pansilia Youth Organization, interviews about the group’s past actions, and scenes of them robbing Chinese people.
This documentary is a reenactment. The current Indonesian government’s stance is one of support for Pansilia. In reality, society has not changed much, and communists continue to face oppression even today. The film illustrates the current social standing of the Pansilia Youth Organization.

Early Stages of Filming

The ringleaders appear in person to reenact scenes from both the perpetrators’ and victims’ perspectives. From this point on, most of the characters in the film scenes wear excessive blood makeup. However, they claim that this makes it feel “real.” You can sense the misery of the scene at that time.
While speaking of “realism,” they unhesitatingly demonstrate their actions in front of the camera. Yet they still claim that this wasn’t as “real” as the actual events. Even after the director calls “cut,” the smiles do not fade from their faces. It looks as if they are filming a promotional video they’re proud of.

Grandchildren and Ducks

A scene appears showing Anwar Kongo playing with his grandchildren and some ducks.
He tells them not to tease a duck with a broken leg. He says he’s sorry. However, he still shows no remorse for the things he has done.

Herman Koto’s Run for Parliament

Scenes of Herman Koto campaigning appear, along with an interview regarding corruption.
A person who has committed socially inhumane acts is running for parliament? It’s contradictory. Furthermore, it reveals how underdeveloped the standards are among those interested in politics and those running for office in Indonesia. The interviews make it clear that politics is driven by money.

Mid-Production Stage

Anwar Congo says the people he murdered appear in his dreams. He begins to reenact those scenes. He explains that the reason the people he killed appear in his dreams is simply because he failed to close their eyes when he beheaded them.
However, the fact that they appear in his dreams suggests that, despite his apparent lack of guilt, a sense of guilt does exist within him.

Late Stages of Filming

Anwar Congo takes on the role of the victim for the final scene. Then he begins to cry. He says he can understand the feelings of the victims. He then sits his grandchildren down and shows them that scene.

Anwar Congo, Feeling Guilt

Herman plays the drums, and the line “I forgive you”—from the waterfall scene in the opening prologue—is spoken.
Anwar Congo openly admits his wrongdoing.

Reasons for Selection and Thoughts on the Film

First, I wanted to choose a documentary that goes beyond a typical “human-interest” documentary to deeply penetrate the spirit of the times and allow viewers to feel an inner expression. I asked a teacher I’d known since high school to recommend a documentary, and this was the one suggested to me. In addition to this film, I watched a few others, primarily works by Michael Moore. I ultimately chose this film because it allowed me to more accurately reflect what I’d learned in class through my own perspective.
Among the various comments made by a certain film critic, the words that stuck with me the most were “fact” and “re-enactment.” This documentary is composed of re-enactments based on facts. It takes the form of a documentary in which the actual participants in the harrowing events of the past—cast as actors—directly produce a film depicting “what happened, as they themselves witnessed it at the time.”
Second, we need to recognize what is unjust as human beings. As I see it, the weak will always remain weak. However, the weak can also become the strong—though this requires tremendous luck and “a certain turning point.”
This documentary is also an exposé. It presents the information about the perpetrators of those events at the time in a raw, unfiltered manner, without holding anything back. In fact, just because this happened in Indonesia, does that mean there aren’t any similarities to our own situation? I felt there were.
The more I watched this documentary, the more I became engrossed in it. In what way? I was completely absorbed while feeling intense anger. The more I watched the perpetrators’ current lives—their smiling faces and how they justified their actions with absurd reasoning—the more I felt they were barbaric.
Barbaric? Was this an incident unique to Indonesia? To be honest, South Korea was once even more barbaric than that country, just as barbaric as that country, and remains barbaric even now. With our own history of barbarism, this is not just someone else’s problem.
Killing communists without facing any punishment and reaping benefits for themselves? I watched the film believing that such things must have definitely happened in South Korea as well. It helped solidify my own subjective perspective.

The Symbolic Meaning and Analysis of ‘The Act of Killing’

The film is imbued with a great deal of symbolic meaning. In Indonesia, justice can ultimately be defined—even to this day—as power and violence. Director Joshua merely proposed making the film; he left it entirely up to “them” to decide where and how to shoot it. He portrayed the self-portrait of the massacre they themselves created through grotesque imagery.
The film is structured in three parts: the process of filming, and the participants’ viewing of the film they themselves created.
Anwar Congo, the protagonist of the film who killed as many as 1,000 people, was an actual member of the massacre task force. He takes pleasure in seeing his murder scenes filmed like a stylish movie. With a smile on his face, he reenacts the deeds he has committed. Perhaps when you see them chattering away with those innocent-looking faces, you can’t help but feel a sense of the macabre.
Animals in their surroundings—such as a snail being crushed by a duck’s foot, a stuffed deer with a severed neck, and a fish on a hook—which frequently appear in inserts, create a sense of parallelism between the people they treated and the animals.
Since they have never been punished, they justify their actions. And before the victims’ pain has even had a chance to fade, they are forced to play the role of victims once again—but, terrified of Omar’s gang, they say nothing and are made to reenact the scenes of their own victimization.
Was Omar’s final outburst of tears truly meaningful? After all, these are people living in a present that will never change.