The Look of Silence

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EE D I did watch it a few years ago but i do remember i liked it Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/14/25 Full Review Audience Member A superb documentary! How the killers are so non-remorseful, bragging about their "proud". Even would like to bring a knife to mimic the murder scene and try their best to precisely show the brutal actions. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review William L The Look of Silence is far more conventionally structured than Oppenheimer's original documentary of the Indonesian killings, presenting the murders from the perspective of a survivor confronting the men that killed his brother. Initially, it's a rather poor comparison to its predecessor, lingering on tortured expressions of its subject listening to recordings of his brother's murderers describe with pride and in detail the gruesome nature of their crimes. But it's all a careful building process; in The Act of Killing Oppenheimer removed himself from the on-screen content to let his subjects dig their own moral graves with their testimonials, but in The Look of Silence his protagonist actively interacts with the monsters that murdered a million 'dissidents' pushing back against their denials of responsibility and extraordinarily misplaced pride. The key aspect of the film is the rationalizations that the guards, militia members, and politicians present when confronted with the reality of their past actions; they claim that they were 'protecting the state', following orders, or maintaining peace - none accept responsibility (including the uncle of the murdered Ramli). Some lash out, directly threatening the nameless man and his efforts to dredge up what they consider the past, misdeeds that have been washed clean by time and the fact that they still maintain influence. They've created this false reality in which they are blameless heroes of a trying time, leading a country built on bloodshed that younger citizens would rather see through rose-colored glasses. Those with a sense of shame (or at least a better understanding of morality) claim indifference, and tout healing as the best means of moving forward, without accepting blame. One of the last segments of the film is the most trying, where a 'respected' former enforcer proudly testifies of his prior actions in front of his daughter, who is visibly terrified; it's only her reaction that causes the former militia man to show discomfort rather than the reality of his past. The film moves from explicitly a political and social documentary of a single event (where the horror lies in the lack of development and justice) to a chronicle of generational change. What endures, what changes, and by how much. The Look of Silence is an important companion piece Oppenheimer's original film, tackling the same content in a completely different way; it's superficially less innovative, but no less powerful. (4.5/5) Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/02/21 Full Review Audience Member Documentaries pursue the truth then expose them and wait for whatever impacts shall be made for the better changes. Most subjects call for help, sympathy and urgent changes by awareness, which the latter word is only limited for some due to unfortunate circumstances whereas a force behind would falsely deny it and heartlessly, or inhumanly, keeps it going. This very documentary, that serves as a companion piece to its yet unseen predecessor, checks across the previous sentence in a dangerously brave approach that unveils ranks of evil as a collaborative form under dictatorship with zero "moral" defense. Similar documentaries facing murderers would bring chills like in "The Thin Blue Line", but this one just outrages and disturbs how they blend in with power and zero remorse while keeping the people in silent check or else they'll strike again like before and add more innocents to their number. Joshua Oppenheimer once again assisted the victims by exposing the oppressors who violently took a number of their families nearly 60 years ago in the still raw follow-up with an unexpected narrative-like structure. (B+) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Not as chilling as the predecessor, the Look of Silence still performs with the protagonist Adi as he journeys on road to confront the men who were behind the "communist exterminations" and personally, his brother's brutal death. For me, the best parts were watching his gradual organic approach to the elephant in the room whilst under the cover of a optometrist. This is truly a scene beyond acting of any kind. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member A deep exploration of the human condition. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/19 Full Review Read all reviews

The Look of Silence

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