The Act of Killing goes to several men who actively participated in a genocide and asked them to make a film about it. And they actually did it. I cannot comprehend this, but it happened. Anwar and the others featured in this film do not fear any consequences for their actions. They are apparently guilt-free and proud of what they've done. They are treated like rock stars at giant rallies praising the government and how they came to power. One of the most chilling scenes is an interview for Indonesian television in which the pretty, young interviewer praises Anwar's actions and another guest, representing the government, expresses a willingness to do it again.
We first meet Anwar on a rooftop where he personally killed more than one hundred people. He re-enacts his favorite manner of execution and then dances a little jig. Over the course of the film he admits to drug and alcohol use and nightmares, but never quite admits to a guilty conscious. That changes when he acts out the role of a man being tortured and executed. During the filming, he breaks down and cries. His reaction is even stronger when he sees it on film and he finally admits he did something wrong. When he returns to that rooftop in the final scene, he becomes physically ill.
Fiction, especially in film form, has an incredible power to reveal truth. Anwar's acting short-circuited nearly fifty years of mental defenses in a matter of seconds. Forced to pretend that he was the man about to die, Anwar couldn't shield himself with his movie star bad-ass persona. Anwar knew what it was to be the criminal, but for the first time he was confronted with being the victim. This is one of my favorite things about film, when it's done well, there's no defense against it.
I would like to leave you with one final note. About half the people in the credits were listed as Anonymous because these people are still in charge of Indonesia.
