DEEP DIVE: Joshua Oppenheimer's Portrait of Mass Delusiuon - A DCC Bleak Month

This is a watch at home, discuss in person event

For my bleak month pick, I thought I'd recommend a few films from a director who, when I first discovered his work, I could not stop watching any interview I could find of this man. Joshua Oppenheimer's research of perpetrators of the 1960s Indonesian genocide is not an easy subject to endure, but I think his approach fundamentally changes what it means to both make and watch a documentary. This will be an interesting discussion for me, as going into it, I've seen 2 of the 3 films. One was an instant favorite, one I found incredibly baffling and unsuccessful in what it was trying to achieve, and one I've still yet to see in part because I was so shaken by the impact of the first. 2 of the 3 are documentaries and 1 is narrative fiction, but all of them share his interest in how someone who has committed atrocities can move on to look themselves in the mirror every day, and lead a rather banal life.

Please try to watch all 3 films before the discussion, but it's okay if you've only seen 1 or 2.

Films:

The Act of Killing (2012):
In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia’s 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.
Stream for free on Kanopy

The Look of Silence (2014):
An optician grapples with the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966, during which his older brother was exterminated.
Stream for free on Kanopy or Tubi

The End (2024):
Twenty-five years after environmental collapse left the Earth uninhabitable, Mother, Father and Son are confined to their palatial bunker, where they struggle to maintain hope and a sense of normalcy by clinging to the rituals of daily life—until the arrival of a stranger, Girl, upends their happy routine. As tensions rise, their seemingly idyllic existence starts to crumble.
Stream on Hulu or for free on Kanopy