The look of silence

The look of silence
The look of silence

The look of silence

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More than a million accused communists were reportedly killed by Indonesian death squads in 1965. Filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer’s 2013 documentary about a death squad leader who reenacts his murders for a film project was called ‘The Act of Killing’. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and created a national discussion in Indonesia. Oppenheimer’s new companion piece to ‘The Act of Killing’ is called ‘The Look of Silence’. This film comes from the perspective of a victim’s family. ‘The Look of Silence’ follows an optometrist as he talks with the people responsible for his brother’s murder, often while fitting them for glasses. We’ll talk with Oppenheimer about some of the challenges of truth and reconciliation in Indonesia. ‘The Look of Silence’ opens at the Music Box Theatre on Friday. (Photo by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung)