The Look of Silence

Critically acclaimed director Joshua Oppenheimer follows up his award-winning documentary THE ACT OF KILLING (2012) with THE LOOK OF SILENCE, which continues the difficult and disquieting project of seeking justice for the survivors of the Indonesian genocide of 1965-66. The anti-Communist purges that brought the Suharto dictatorship to power have claimed the lives of at least half a million, with estimates of up to a million people. What is the toll for survivors of living alongside the perpetrators of these human rights abuses?

At the centre of the documentary is Adi Rukun, who confronts the psychological toll the genocide has had on his family. Oppenheimer explores the heavy emotional burden that is carried by survivors who have to confront a reality of living alongside their torturers. Many who were involved in the paramilitary death squads lead ordinary lives as local politicians and teachers, while denying the atrocities of the genocide.