Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary The Act of Killing was one of the best films of 2013. The film examined the Indonesian genocide from the point of view of the killers, and in the process provided a chilling look at the way history and storytelling are interrelated.
Oppenheimer’s follow-up film, The Look of Silence, is going to be hailed as one of the best films of 2015. (I caught it at the New York Film Festival last year.) The Look of Silence is also about the Indonesian genocide, but instead follows an optometrist named Adi as he tries to learn more about the murder of his older brother during that purge. The film continues the exploration of history and storytelling, while also considering what it’s like to live among murderers who still posses power and political influence.
The Look of Silence is simultaneously a perfect companion piece to The Act of Killing, and a towering standalone documentary, remarkably structured and almost novelistic in its presentation.
Check out the trailer below. The Look of Silence comes out later this year.
