The Look of Silence

In 1965, Indonesia was the site of genocide when the military government purged more than 500,000 members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and their supporters. Truth and reconciliation are always complicated issues but uniquely so when the perpetrators remain in power and are one's neighbors. Here, noteworthy filmmaker Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing) follows optometrist Adi Rukun as he challenges members of his community and his own family responsible for the death of his older brother. Rukun's brave confrontation with the killers during in-house eye exams demonstrates that the past can never stay buried. The film is marked by beautiful cinematography, emotional moments with Rukun's mother and father, and a heightened sense of tension throughout. Oppenheimer's exceptional work underscores what happens when victors' history is allowed to go undisputed and victims are forced to suffer in silence. Bonus features include an in-depth conversation with Oppenheimer and the Q&A event at the February 2015 Berlinale.