The Act of Killing // Joshua Oppenheimer // 2 hours 2minutes
In The Act of Killing (2012), director Joshua Oppenheimer asks Indonesian death squad leaders to reenact their atrocities in the style of their favorite films—musicals, crime dramas, westerns. The result is surreal, nightmarish, and one of the most disturbing, essential documentaries ever made.
About Doc Turtleneck
Doc Turtleneck is a screening series dedicated to non-fiction films that challenge traditional notions of truth. While documentaries are often seen as arbiters of reality, this series emphasizes that "truth" in cinema is always shaped by perspective and interpretation.
The films showcased in Doc Turtleneck embrace this complexity, blending innovation and introspection to explore how stories are told and how meaning is made. Whether through the filmmaker’s presence, experimental structures, or evocative imagery, these works champion a nuanced approach to non-fiction, inviting audiences to question, reflect, and engage with the many layers of reality.