The Act of Killing

CT International Festival 2013 War On Stage - Stages Of War

In the documentary film The Act of Killing, Anwar Congo and his friends dances their way through musical numbers, twist arms in film noir gangster scenes, and ride across prairies as yodelling cowboys - even though they are mass murderers. They have not been forced by history to admit that they participated in crimes against humanity.

The Act of Killing is a journey into the memories and imaginations of the perpetrators, offering insight into the minds of mass killers. The film is a nightmarish vision in which killers can joke about crimes against humanity and celebrate moral disaster with the ease and grace of a soft shoe dance number.