← Back to explore

The Act of Killing

2012 · Movie · NR · 117 min

7.7(758)unSUB Rating

DocumentaryHistory

This chilling documentary follows death-squad leaders from Indonesia decades after a mass purge. They reenact their past atrocities in different film styles, blurring the line between performance and reality as the psychological weight of what they did lingers.

Also known as L'acte de tuer · The act of killing - Directors Cut · Watch The Act of Killing: The Director's Cut

Where to watch

Watch free on Tubi.

2 hours to watch.

Streaming availability and prices may be inaccurate or change — verify with the provider before subscribing.

unSUB's subscription recommendations are informational only, not financial advice.

unSUB does not host or stream any content. Every link above goes to a licensed provider.

More value for your money

Similar titles, ranked by watch-hours per subscription dollar.

Details
Years
2012
Release date
2012-11-08
Language
Danish
Rated
NR
Runtime
117 min
Max quality
HD
TMDB rating (input)
7.7/10 (758 votes)
Budget
$1,000,000
About

You’ll likely like it if you want an unflinching, surreal look at guilt and self-deception in documentary form; Not for you if you want a purely victims-first perspective like The Look of Silence, or if you’re sensitive to graphic, real-world atrocities.

Pros: genre-mixing approach; hypnotic candor; haunting impact | Cons: extremely disturbing content; slow pacing for some; unsettling moral discomfort

Themes

  • corruption
  • indonesia
  • genocide
  • indonesian genocide
  • political documentary
  • social & cultural documentary

Awards & recognition

  • European Film AwardBest Documentary · 2013
  • Academy AwardBest Documentary Feature Film · 2014 · nominated
  • European Film AwardBest Documentary · 2013 · nominated

Cast & crew

  • AC

    Anwar Congo

    as Self - Executioner in 1965

  • HK

    Herman Koto

    as Self - Gangster & Paramilitary Leader

  • SA

    Syamsul Arifin

    as Self - Governor of North Sumatra

  • IS

    Ibrahim Sinik

    as Self - Newspaper Publisher

  • YS

    Yapto Soerjosoemarno

    as Self - Leader of Pancasila Youth

  • SP

    Safit Pardede

    as Self - Local Paramilitary Leader

  • JK

    Jusuf Kalla

    as Self - Vice President of Indonesia

  • AZ

    Adi Zulkadry

    as Self - Fellow Executioner in 1965

  • SU

    Suryono

    as Self - Anwar's Neighbor

  • HM

    Haji Marzuki

    as Self - Member of North Sumatra Parliament

Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer