The Act of Killing

    So, I may be late by a year. Yeah, yeah. I'm not particularly great at getting around to watch films. But this is one I definitely would recommend.
    This movie had the greatest numbing effect I have ever experienced. It was like coming out of a dream and not really being able to move. This film was The Act of Killing.
    I watched it during Eugene's local DisOrient Film Festival. If you're ever in the area around this time of the year check them out. It received it's own personal screening a day before the actual start of the festival. The directors of the festival really wanted to shed light on the topic as well as enlightening interested community members.

    If you do not know what this film is about, watch the trailer:

    I have no comments on its filming since it was a documentary film. Documentary films don't usually have clean filming, aka set tripods and studio-like work. But how it was shot and how it was edited really helped to tell a story.
    After the screening, the audience including myself were able to ask questions to a woman who studies Indonesia and a man whose family was exiled. The man's face as he described his disgust for the film and for the people in the film was full of pain. He was actually in Indonesia around that time. And he told us about it. He was even standing behind the chair that was given to him.
    One topic that was very interesting was the discussion of ethics. In the journalism school, there is always talk about ethics. This film raises a big eyebrow on its ethics because 1. it was Ph.D researched and 2. the actions of the characters in the film to others was questionable. Ethically, wouldn't the director and crew have to intervene? Or shouldn't they have?
    I honestly cannot describe the feelings I had from watching this film or even hearing this man talk. I do not know if I would recommend someone watching it all in one take. I did and it left me numb. I definitely think it is a really great discussion. There are so many topics of interest that the film raises, such as war crimes, the US involvement in international affairs and in other countries, and more.

I hope you watch it completely through and have enlightening and interesting discussions on the subject.

Cheers,
Claire