Sydenham Film Club presents THE ACT OF KILLING

Described by Werner Herzog as “unprecedented in the history of cinema”, Joshua Oppenheimer’s film is an astoundingly creative approach to the art of documentary demanding, as Errol Morris said, “another way of looking at reality”.

As leader of a death squad in the 1960s, Anwar Congo took part in Indonesia’s violent crackdown against ‘communists’ – a crackdown that killed one million people. He claims to be personally responsible for 1,000 of these deaths. Rather than be punished for his crimes, Anwar is celebrated as a national hero.

The Act of Killing is about him and his friends, and it is about the culture of impunity that allows them to perpetuate the myth of heroism. But Joshua Oppenheimer lets them tell their own story: realising they were huge film fans, he invited them to make short films, in any genre, about their crimes.

★★★★★ ‘”The most compelling thing you’ll ever see” –   THE GUARDIAN

★★★★★ ”Shatteringly powerful” THE SUNDAY TIMES

★★★★★ ”An utterly fascinating, chilling, but important film” INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

★★★★★ ”Staggeringly original” TIME OUT
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