As the follow-up to the Indonesian documentary "The Act of Killing" (2012), "The Look of Silence" continues the search for truth regarding the mass tortures and murders of suspected communists in Indonesia in the mid-1960s. The main focus of the film is Adi, an optometrist whose brother was brutally killed during the massacres. The film rolls while Adi confronts the various men (or their surviving families) who were involved in his brother's killing.
As a real-life subject, Adi must be one of the most admirable people alive today. How he can maintain such composure, grace, and courage is truly remarkable as he peacefully confronts some of the most despicable people on the planet.
I gave a mixed review to "The Act of Killing" a few years ago. While I highly admired its motive, I felt it gave too much freedom of speech to the killers and torturers who showed no remorse in what they expressed. Being in their presence for so long as they said whatever they wanted was extremely uncomfortable.
Thankfully, this is not the case in "The Look of Silence". While being interviewed and confronted, these monsters show discomfort and have less opportunity to be pompous.
The film's weakness is in its lack of variety. It is mainly a series of interviews with the same structure. However, the results of those interviews are compelling. The camera remains fixed on subjects whose bodies and faces remain still. However, the changes in the texture of their eyes are very revealing.
Three of the most moving scenes are those involving families. One involves a killer being confronted while his adult daughter is seated beside him. Another involves the widow and two adult sons of another killer, now deceased. The most gripping is one where Adi confronts a member of his extended family: It finishes with the relative standing as his door staring at Adi who is walking away. One wonders if he, and maybe others, recovered even a tiny bit of humanity during the conversations?
As a real-life subject, Adi must be one of the most admirable people alive today. How he can maintain such composure, grace, and courage is truly remarkable as he peacefully confronts some of the most despicable people on the planet.
I gave a mixed review to "The Act of Killing" a few years ago. While I highly admired its motive, I felt it gave too much freedom of speech to the killers and torturers who showed no remorse in what they expressed. Being in their presence for so long as they said whatever they wanted was extremely uncomfortable.
Thankfully, this is not the case in "The Look of Silence". While being interviewed and confronted, these monsters show discomfort and have less opportunity to be pompous.
The film's weakness is in its lack of variety. It is mainly a series of interviews with the same structure. However, the results of those interviews are compelling. The camera remains fixed on subjects whose bodies and faces remain still. However, the changes in the texture of their eyes are very revealing.
Three of the most moving scenes are those involving families. One involves a killer being confronted while his adult daughter is seated beside him. Another involves the widow and two adult sons of another killer, now deceased. The most gripping is one where Adi confronts a member of his extended family: It finishes with the relative standing as his door staring at Adi who is walking away. One wonders if he, and maybe others, recovered even a tiny bit of humanity during the conversations?