On The Look of Silence (2014)

Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer – Indonesia, USA – Documentary

Oppenheimer’s follow-up to 2012’s The Act of Killing is a less postmodern, though equally uncomfortable and threatening, and this time, deeply personal examination of the effects of the Indonesian New Order’s genocide of 1965, and one of the most propagandised nations on Earth.

The man, nameless, slowly reveals information to us through interrogating those who guarded the death camps, and the perpetrators of Ramli’s death. It’s easy to draw many parallels with Kazuo Hara’s The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On, but there are many distinct differences. The protagonist is overwhelmingly calm from the top of the film all the way through, in an act of immense courage when confronting not only proud fascists, but proud fascists living with other fascists in power, per the Pemuda Pancasila. You can see on his expression when watching the footage of Amir and Inong he is at his capacity to hold back his reaction – he stays strong and emotions only bubble to the surface when he probes too far and the questions are too deep. It’s in stark contrast with the killers who smile and joke about the purge years. He doesn’t reveal his name, his village, or any identifying details to the people he interviews. He can never hold these people accountable as long as PP remains powerful. Anwar has published a book complete with brutal illustration.

Footage is ordered in terms of detail, and we only learn the man is Ramli’s brother half way through, and a full account of his murder is only given right at the end. It’s an effective technique. Overall the film is much simpler than its predecessor but horrific all the same