The Look of Silence

In the 1960s, the Indonesian government was overthrown.  The new regime killed all the opposition under the guise that they were wiping out Communists.  These men are still protected by the government and the families of the victims live in fear and silence.

Adi is an optometrist.  His older brother Ramli was killed in 1965 during the Communist purge.  He was born to ease his parent's grief.  He watches footage of the killers talking and joking about the murders they committed.  He visits the killers and asks questions about their roles in the killings.


The follow-up / companion piece to director Joshua Oppenheimer's 2013 documentary The Act of Killing, which focuses on the killers.  This film is more intimate, focusing on one family and their heartache.  The stakes were even higher for the crew and their subjects, which is apparent by the number of people credited as "Anonymous" in the credits.  In fact, Adi and his family had to move to a different part of the country to avoid repercussions for this film.

Like it's predecessor, this is a difficult film to watch.  Silence is a big part of the film, which adds to the tension and discomfort felt by the people on screen.  Most of the killers and/or their families don't want to think about the morality of what happened and want to avoid talking about it because "the wounds have healed."

If you watched The Act of Killing, you should watch this film to see the other side of the story.  This film is nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary (like it's predecessor).

The Look of Silence (2014) 103 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for thematic material involving disturbing graphic descriptions of atrocities and inhumanity
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Starring: Adi Rukun