In this blog post, I will examine how the psychology of the perpetrators and social memory intertwine through the reenactment scenes and the testimonies of the participants in ‘The Act of Killing’.

Film Information and Reasons for Selection

‘The Act of Killing’ is a 2013 documentary co-produced by Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom, which was released in South Korea in November 2014. The film straddles the line between documentary and crime genre, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer and Shin Hye-soo. It runs approximately 2 hours and 39 minutes.
I chose this film because the title alone piqued my interest. The premise—in which perpetrators of the massacre reenact their violent acts and sometimes even play the roles of the victims—was particularly striking. Going beyond a simple historical record, I wanted to observe what internal changes would occur when perpetrators experienced the victims’ perspective, and how their behavior and emotions would shift. I sought to see whether the perpetrators would attempt to rationalize their actions, or whether they would be forced to confront their guilt, and how the concepts of good and evil coexist or clash within the individual.

Summary of the Film’s Sequences

01. Filming Location: Anwar Congo and Herman Koto act out a peaceful scene on a green meadow.
02. Streets at Dawn: A scene of a dirty, dilapidated street in Indonesia appears, contrasting sharply with the peacefulness of the meadow.
03. Cityscape: A sophisticated urban landscape fills the screen, dominated by building facades. A billboard on the left and a McDonald’s sign on the right create a stark contrast to the shabby street from the previous scene.
04. A shot of city buildings seen beyond a motorcycle stunt arena, followed by a scene of a man riding a bicycle downhill, signals the start of the documentary.
05. A subtitle explains the background of the 1965 military coup in Indonesia and the subsequent massacres. It details how various social classes—including union members, tenant farmers, intellectuals, and Chinese Indonesians—were branded as “communists,” leading to countless executions, with paramilitary groups and organized crime syndicates mobilized for the purpose.
06. Anwar and Herman appear, showing the process of filming a movie in which they reenact scenes of the massacres. Although on-site casting was difficult at first, filming eventually proceeds, and the participants deliver intense performances. Anwar watches this with a smile.
07. The two define their actions as “our history” and state that they must be remembered by future generations.
08. Anwar goes to the site where he executed people in the past and physically reenacts the scenes from that time. He vividly recreates how they walked, how they were beaten, and how they were dragged away, even mentioning the method of strangling them to minimize bloodshed. He hums a tune, saying he used to dance and sing to forget those memories.
09. We see Anwar at home, mending his clothes and grooming himself in front of a mirror. The scenes of him wearing flashy clothes and paying particular attention to his dental care are striking.
10. The scene continues with Anwar visiting a local high-ranking official to talk about himself. The official recalls that while everyone feared Anwar, he himself did not, and, citing the origin of the word “gangster,” insists that they are different from thugs.
11. Against the backdrop of the night streets and the paramilitary organization’s office, Anwar confesses that he used to work at a movie theater and that, while executing communists for the organization, he would dance and mock them. He admits that he sometimes enjoyed killing.
12. As Anwar plays the guitar and sings at a drinking party, he mentions that he has nightmares because of those actions.
13. Anwar and Herman visit the editorial office of a newspaper. The editor, Ibrahim, says that as a journalist, he had a responsibility to make the public hate communists, but he considers actually killing people to be “dirty work.”
14. Members of the Pankasila Youth Organization, dressed in orange, appear. Pankasila is depicted as one of the paramilitary groups that played a leading role during the massacres.
15. Scenes show the Pankasila youths being cheered, and Anwar meeting the organization’s leader, Yapto, at an official event. Yapto claims that their violence is not violence and emphasizes the organization’s service-oriented nature.
16. Scenes of Yapto enjoying golf are contrasted with scenes of Anwar and Herman playing at a bowling alley. Anwar is a skilled bowler.
17. A scene is shown where Anwar watches footage of the documentary being filmed at home with his family and remarks that his acting needs to be more brutal.
18. In front of a group gathered on set, Anwar reenacts the method he used to beat a person to death with a desk leg and describes the song he sang at the time. This scene reveals the perpetrators’ attitude of treating their actions lightly, as if they were a game.
19. A brief scene is inserted showing Anwar visiting the dentist.
20. While driving and checking his teeth in the mirror, Anwar talks about Chinese communists. He recalls how he used to rob them or kill them in the past.
21. A scene is shown in the night market where Safit Fadede, the leader of a local paramilitary group, mocks Chinese merchants and steals their money. The merchants force a smile and reluctantly hand over their money.
22. A scene shows Vice President Jusuf Kalla wearing a Pancasila-themed outfit and being cheered at an official event. He argues that organized crime figures are people working outside the system and that they are necessary to get things done properly.
23. In the following scene, a traffic safety announcement plays, conveying the message that “the purpose of traffic laws is to protect you and your family.” This contrasts sharply with the earlier political remarks.
24. Anwar discusses an anti-communist film produced by the government. He explains that this film was shown to children every year starting in elementary school as an educational tool and served to foster public hostility.
25. Day scene: A plane lands, and Adi Zulkadri, a member of the death squad, steps off. After exchanging greetings with Anwar, the two drive around the city in a sports car, revisiting places such as the office where they used to kill people and the river where they dumped bodies.

Filming Location and Interviews

26. On the film set, Anwar and Adi apply heavy makeup to create the appearance of facial scars. Director Joshua asks them about their views on the propaganda film. Anwar says the film helped alleviate his guilt, while Adi admits that, though not to the same extent as Anwar, he believes the film’s purpose was to portray communists as demons. Adi recalls that killing people was something that had to be done quickly.
27. During a break, they talk with Soadun Sire, a reporter for Ibrahim Sinik. The conversation turns to the themes of “cruelty” and “sadism,” and they later film a scene of interrogating a communist.
28. Anwar and Adi go to a fishing spot. Anwar confides in Adi that he has nightmares because of the massacres he committed. Adi comforts Anwar with a dismissive attitude.
29. Anwar watches children and ducks in the courtyard. Seeing a child break a duck’s leg, he—contrary to his image as a mass murderer—makes the child apologize to the duck and stroke it.
30. In a scene where he’s talking with Adi while riding in a sports car, Anwar recalls killing Chinese people and speaks of it proudly.
31. Back on the film set, Adi and Anwar are applying wound makeup. Adi explains his perspective on murder through the relativity of ethics, stating that it is important not to feel guilty.
32. They film a scene where Anwar is beaten for becoming a communist. During a break, his neighbor Sunolyo shares his story. Sunoryo recalls that his stepfather was beaten to death because he was Chinese, and that he and his mother had to dispose of the body. After finishing his story, he adds that all of this is merely material for the film and that he does not intend to criticize Anwar.
33. Filming continues. Sunoryo plays the role of a communist and acts out an interrogation scene, even performing a chokehold with wire to make it look realistic. Adi worries that this film might have the unintended effect of undermining propaganda films.
34. Scenes show the family enjoying their leisure time at a luxurious shopping center.
35. While Adi is driving, Director Joshua asks him what he would do if he were charged with a crime under international law; Adi argues that the definition of war crimes is relative.
36. Scenes from the film shoot follow. A scene appears of women dancing in colorful dresses on a prairie.
37. Anwar and Hermann sitting in chairs and talking. Anwar says he could make a film even more sadistic than Nazi films.
38. Anwar and Hermann riding a bus somewhere. They sing along to the music as they travel.
39. The two are filming at a ranch. Anwar says he enjoyed watching murder movies where people are killed in a cool, detached manner, and that he killed communists using the methods he learned from those films, introducing his own unique killing techniques.
40. A scene shows Hermann brushing his teeth. The scene of him brushing his tongue and gagging leaves a repulsive and uncomfortable impression.
41. Hermann has a photo shoot with his family at a studio. He smiles cheerfully for the photos, which will be used as campaign materials when he runs for a seat in the National Parliament.
42. Herman practices his speech at home. A scene of Obama giving a speech plays on the TV, and he practices by mimicking his facial expressions in front of the vanity mirror.
43. Herman drives around the streets giving a speech. His goal is to join the Construction Committee and raise substantial funds.
44. A shot of Anwar driving appears, and he expresses negative views on the legislature and politics.
45. Director Joshua asks candidates Marzuki and Anwar what illegal businesses the Pancasila Youth Organization is involved in. Marzuki lists every activity labeled “illegal” and proudly speaks of the positive impact of eliminating communists and their own power.
46. A scene of candidate Marzuki being cheered at an official event. Anwar is standing next to him wearing a Pancasila outfit, and the crowd chants, “Long live Pancasila!”
47. Herman continues to promote himself while driving. As he drives through the streets trying to buy votes with money, he confesses that although the people attending the rally are smiling on the surface, their true feelings are different—they are there only because they were paid.
48. Anwar is shown driving again. He discusses Herman’s ambition and the difficulties of winning the election.
49. A scene shows Herman lying in bed with his daughter, his round belly visible. A caption reads, “Herman lost the election.” He asks his daughter to pray for him and talks about challenges and courage.
50. Anwar and Hermann enjoy watching the film they made together.
51. A scene of Anwar carefully feeding baby ducks.
52. They film a scene where a dead communist appears like a ghost on the movie set.
53. Anwar sleeps in a room with colorful clothes displayed on the walls and a large mirror. This scene continues to appear as an insert throughout the film.

Inner Confessions and Aftermath

54. Against a dark blue sky reminiscent of the predawn sky, as birds fly by, Anwar recalls a memory of the massacre. He mimics the sound of a person being beheaded, and once again mentions his nightmares.
55. On a movie set, Anwar plays the role of a communist and acts out a scene where his neck is bound with wire and severed. They also create a doll that looks exactly like Anwar and film a scene where its neck is cut off as if it were real; Herman, who plays the role of the executioner, directs a scene where he devours Anwar’s head like a monster.
56. A scene shows Yapto, the representative of Pancasila, making lewd remarks about women while enjoying a banquet at an official event.
57. A wealthy man among the perpetrators appears and says he is happy to have given a field worth 200 million won from his land to the birds. He proudly shows off the crystal fragments and stuffed animals he has collected.
58. This is followed by a brutal scene filmed in the forest. Anwar’s head is displayed, and a scene is staged in which Herman eats his liver. Following this shocking scene, there is a sequence of women dressed in gold dancing against the backdrop of a blue riverbank.
59. Anwar and Herman watch the footage they have filmed, and Anwar discusses how his sadistic acts are justified.
60. Anwar appears on a special interview program on Indonesian state television. The anchor and guests justify the extermination of communists, cheering them on and glorifying those responsible for mass killings. They also praise the film they produced.
61. The camera pans across the poor and dilapidated streets of Indonesia.
62. A scene shows politician Ramatsha enjoying himself as he looks at the photos of movie stars he has collected and the stuffed animals.
63. Anwar looks in the mirror and tries to pull out his own aching tooth.
64. Anwar looks at old photos and recalls memories of the mass killings.
65. Anwar gathers children and women, sets their house on fire, and begins filming the scene of the violence.
66. During a break in filming, Herman and the other Pankasila men exchange lewd jokes about raping communist women.
67. The scene shifts back to Anwar lying on a bed in a room.
68. Anwar feels remorse as he reflects on the footage he shot of the village being burned. He says that if the women and children had actually gone through that, they would have cursed the perpetrators—themselves.
69. At sunset on the beach, Anwar answers Director Joshua’s question about “karma.” He speaks once again about his nightmares and their impact.
70. A scene shows the leader of the Pancasila organization enjoying shopping with his family at a luxury shopping center. The narration states that despite having committed mass murder, he has never felt guilt or depression.
71. Back on the film set, Anwar acts out a scene interrogating a communist.
72. A scene is shown of a plane crashing into an Indonesian village.
73. Back on the set, a scene is staged where Anwar tears apart the baby of the communist being interrogated, played by Herman.
74. Lying in bed, Anwar plays with a duck toy and sings. He sings, “I feel nothing. I have no doubts.”
75. On the movie set, Anwar now plays the role of a communist being interrogated. He acts out being tortured, and fake blood gets into his eyes, causing him severe discomfort. Eventually, while acting out a scene where he is strangled to death with wire, he becomes so deeply immersed that he reaches a state bordering on fear and exhaustion, and tells Hermann, his co-star, that he doesn’t think he can act out this scene anymore.

Plot Summary

The forest scene reappears. Anwar’s head lies on the ground, and his limbs and internal organs are scattered around. Monkeys are shown picking up and eating the scattered red entrails.
Inside the museum, the scene shifts to a display of stuffed animal heads.
A peaceful meadow scene from a film Anwar shot earlier in the documentary reappears. We see Anwar and Hermann dancing in front of a waterfall with women, and the men dressed as communists who appeared earlier also make an appearance. They remove the wire wrapped around their necks, place a shiny medal around Anwar’s neck, and say, “Thank you for killing me and sending me to heaven; I thank you a thousand times over for everything.” Everyone holds hands as beautiful music plays, and the scene ends.
Anwar watches this scene on TV at home. While he is initially satisfied with the beautiful visuals, he suddenly asks to play the scene where he is being strangled with wire. He calls his grandchildren to watch it with him and proudly says, “Let’s watch the scene where Grandpa is tortured to death.” After his grandchildren leave the room, Anwar continues to watch the scene of his own beheading alone.
After watching the screen in silence, Anwar asks Director Joshua, “Did the people I tortured feel the same way I did? It felt like my personality was being destroyed, and the fear from that place suddenly took control of my body.” Director Joshua replies that the experience of the tortured must have been even more horrific. Anwar chokes back tears and asks, “Have I committed a sin? I did this to so many people. Is all of this coming back to haunt me? I hope not.”
As night falls, Anwar returns to the massacre site first introduced in the documentary. While looking around, he suddenly experiences severe, prolonged retching and vomits over the railing. Exhausted, he sits down and says, “Why did I have to kill them? Because my conscience told me I had to kill them.” He tries to explain further while touching the wire and sack he used in the past to kill people easily, but soon begins retching again and vomits.
He walks down the stairs of the building. The camera looks down at him from the top of the stairs. Anwar pauses on the stairs for a moment and wipes away his tears.
In the distance, a fantastical scene of women in colorful clothes dancing on the prairie appears, and as the screen fades out, the end credits roll.

Formal Analysis

The documentary first outlines the historical background. Following the military coup in Indonesia in 1965, those who resisted the military—including union members, tenant farmers, intellectuals, and ethnic Chinese—were branded as communists, and over a million people were executed in the roughly one-year period before and after Western intervention.
The military mobilized paramilitary groups and organized crime syndicates to suppress opposition forces, and that power has persisted to this day.
The director meets directly with those who carried out the massacres at the time, showing how they remember and recount the events. Interestingly, the perpetrators spoke proudly of their actions, and the director, seeking to understand their motives, requested reenactments of the massacre scenes and documented the process.
The composition of the shots and the transitions between scenes are key formal devices in this documentary. The director creates contrast by following brutal moments with unexpectedly gentle and human scenes. For example, immediately after showing Anwar’s brutal side, the film cuts to a scene of him stroking a duck with a leg injury, or after a shot of Anwar’s severed head, it shows a museum displaying taxidermied animal heads.
Scenes contrasting Indonesia’s past and present are also repeated. Scenes of a bloodbath from the past are juxtaposed with the sophisticated urban landscapes of the present, where people live lavishly while concealing that pain, as well as the vast natural grasslands and the horrific scenes of a film set. This juxtaposition visually reveals how the wounds of the past are still being disguised and concealed in the present.
Camera angles are also used intentionally. The low-angle shot from the front when Anwar first appears makes him look dignified. In contrast, the scene where he retches and descends at the final massacre site is shot from a high angle, making his collapse under guilt appear pitiable. These two angles clearly tie the beginning and end of the documentary together.
The repeated use of mirrors is also notable. Mirrors symbolize self-reflection or a fractured inner self. Mirror scenes appear whenever Anwar struggles with his own violence and its justification; he fails to express a clear sense of self compared to other perpetrators and wavers between his inner conscience and evil.
Furthermore, the narration is kept to a minimum. The director’s voice appears only when posing key questions, and most of the narrative unfolds through the words and actions of Anwar and the other perpetrators. This restrained narration ties together recurring scene patterns, reinforcing the theme and helping to maintain the audience’s focus.

Theme and Interpretation

On the surface, the theme this documentary presents is Indonesia’s bloody history and the absurd reality that persists without the nation having properly overcome its wounds. However, upon deeper examination, the coexistence of good and evil within a single human being—and the conflict between them—emerges as the core issue.
Although evil has long dominated Anwar’s inner world, moments arise over time when goodness wells up from the depths. This conflict torments him, and the audience comes to feel compassion for him. His appearance, thirsting for goodness like a person searching for water in the desert, is pitiable.
However, the acts he committed are difficult to forgive and irreversible. The clash between good and evil ultimately leads to regret, and regret is a shackle that continues like human destiny. This work vividly and poignantly depicts that conflict and anguish.

Other Opinions

Meanwhile, I disagree with the scene in this documentary where a perpetrator of the massacre states, “Ethics are relative.” Believing absolutely in the claim that ethics are relative creates a logical contradiction. Ethics must be based, at the very least, on respect for life, and the perpetrators of the Indonesian massacres are clearly responsible for committing war crimes.