potentsg

“The Look of Silence,” a documentary directed by the American filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer and an anonymous Indonesian collaborator, is a painful, profoundly empathetic work of moral reckoning. Like its companion film, “The Act of Killing,” released in 2013, it examines the mass killings that began in Indonesia in 1965, when at least a million people were slaughtered in the aftermath of a military coup.

In the earlier movie, perpetrators of the massacres eagerly re-enact their crimes, borrowing costumes and attitudes from American genre movies, as if they were western or film noir heroes. In “The Look of Silence,” it is clear that many of the killers, whose political sponsors are still in power, feel little or no regret for their actions. On the contrary, they bask in a glow of righteous vindication. A death squad commander matter-of-factly talks about “exterminating Communists” for several months and concludes that “because this was an international matter, we should be given a gift. We should be rewarded with a trip to America.” Recalling the Cold War context of the atrocities, he notes that “America taught us to hate Communists.”

Mr. Oppenheimer, filming in Indonesia over more than a decade, found that this ideology was still very much in place. “The Look of Silence” visits a classroom where young children are taught that the killings were justified. Elsewhere, they are celebrated. Early in the film, two elderly men stroll down an overgrown path to the banks of the Snake River, gleefully demonstrating how they beat their captives, dragged them by the feet and then hacked them to death with knives and machetes. Their laughter is all the more horrifying for seeming free and un-self-conscious, as if they were recalling incidents of youthful mischief.

We watch video of the two men, around 10 years after it was shot, in the company of Adi Rukun, a soft-spoken ophthalmologist whose brother Ramli was killed by the Komando Aksi, a paramilitary organization in the Aceh Province of Indonesia. Mr. Rukun was born in 1968, and he is haunted less by traumatic memories than by their terrible absence. His mother recalls the day of Ramli’s disappearance with unbearable clarity and undiluted sorrow, while his father, who is frail, mostly blind and over 100, drifts in and out of awareness.

Mr. Rukun sets out, along with Mr. Oppenheimer and a film crew, to confront his brother’s killers. Sometimes he conducts eye exams while asking questions, his professional bearing blending with his gentle, insistent manner of interrogation.

The encounters are, for the most part, unnervingly calm and decorous. For half a century, survivors have lived among those responsible for the deaths of their loved ones. Political authorities, neighbors, even relatives and friends have blood on their hands, and acknowledge as much. A few go further, telling of how they drank their victims’ blood, a practice they credit with saving them from the madness that afflicted some of their colleagues.

Amid the laughter, the boasting and the superstition, there are some of the expected evasions and excuses. The killers were only following orders, or targeting bad people, or caught up in the chaos of the times. It was so long ago, Mr. Rukun is told. Why stir up bad memories?

Even when specific atrocities are admitted — or bragged about — ultimate responsibility is pushed away. Death squad members say they were fulfilling the mandates of the military, while politicians insist that the slaughter was the spontaneous expression of popular will. It’s suggested at one point that the “Communists” offered themselves up, asking to be killed as punishment for their transgressions.

With a single exception — an old NBC news report from the mid-1960s — Mr. Oppenheimer avoids the archival footage and explanatory material that usually fill out historical documentaries. His approach is more like Claude Lanzmann’s in “Shoah,” which surveyed the Holocaust by rigorously focusing on the faces and words of witnesses, survivors and participants.

The mood of “The Look of Silence” is tranquil. Its settings — modest houses and sun-dappled gardens, far from the urban bustle of “The Act of Killing” — are peaceful, and Mr. Rukun is a quiet man, contemplating his family’s tragedy more in sorrow than in anger. But this atmosphere has the effect of making the violence at the film’s heart all the more shocking. Movies have helped make even extreme brutality seem banal (that was part of the message of “The Act of Killing”), but hearing a simple, factual account of an atrocity can be almost unbearable.

“After such knowledge, what forgiveness?” T. S. Eliot asked that question, in his poem “Gerontion,” almost a century ago, and it has hovered over much subsequent history. Mr. Oppenheimer and his collaborators pose it with renewed urgency and poignancy, and also suggest the ways that, in Indonesia, forgiveness is still premature. The silence they discover is not a failure of acknowledgment, but the refusal of apology.

“The Look of Silence” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Extreme acts of violence, rendered in words rather than images.

Love is a 2008 Indonesian romance film directed by Kabir Bhatia as a remake of the 2006 film Cinta.^[1][2][3][4] The film marked the last appearance of actor Sophan Sophiaan before his death in 2008.^[5] Sophiaan appeared opposite his real-life wife, Widyawati.

• 5Album

Synopsis[edit]

With Jakarta as the background, the film shares the stories of 5 different couples of various ages, social, and economic groups.

Background[edit]

The project began filming in 2007, and was at first accused of being a copy of the 2003 British romantic comedy film Love Actually. Writer Titien Wattimena denied that it was a copy, and Christo Damar of 'The Nature Producers' stated that while Love began with the same basic precept, it was actually based upon the 2006 film Cinta, with perhaps a 10% similarity to its predecessor, and 90% being a different story as now set in Jakarta.^[2] The composer Erwin Gutawa contributed to the film.

Cast[edit]

• Laudya Cynthia Bella as Dinda
• Irwansyah as Restu
• Acha Septriasa as Iin
• Darius Sinathriya as Awin
• Fauzi Baadilla as Rama
• Luna Maya as Tere
• Sophan Sophiaan as Nugroho
• Surya Saputra as Gilang
• Widyawati as Lestari
• Wulan Guritno as Miranda
• Ajeng Sardi as Dewi
• Aryo Wahab as Rio
• Gading Marten as Arif
• Marsha Aruan as Icha
• Linda Ramadhanty as Ayu
• Nur Saptahadi as Chandra
• Al Fathir Muchtar as Omar
• Marsha Timothy as Tia
• Joko Anwar as Arya

Awards and nominations[edit]

This movie won 'Movie of the Year' at the Guardians e-Awards and nominated for 'Favorite Film' at the Indonesian Movie Awards.

Album[edit]

Ost. Love is a compilation album released in 2008 to accompany the film of the same title, Love. The soundtrack album has 9 songs. The hit song single Sempurna sung by Andra and The BackBone was recycling song by Gita Gutawa.

List Song[edit]

1. Sempurna (second version) - Gita Gutawa
2. Anugerah Terindah Yang Pernah Ku Miliki - Sheila On 7
3. Oo..Oo..Oo.. - Gigi
4. Kasih Tak Sampai - Padi
5. Scoring Love 2 - Erwin Gutawa
6. Dua Hati Menjadi Satu - Gita Gutawa feat Dafi
7. Ku Ingin Engkau - Vagetoz
8. Sempurna (first version) - Gita Gutawa
9. Scoring Love 1 - Gita Gutawa

Reception[edit]

Iskandar Liem of the Jakarta Post wote that the film might have seemed to simply be a remake of the earlier Cinta, using notable stars as a means of attracting money at the box office, but offered that 'despite its flaws, [the film] proves to be an emotional reflection on affairs of the heart. Speaking toward the work of Sophan Sophiaan in the film, Liem wrote it was 'refreshing to see senior thespian Sophan venturing outside his usual stern patriarchal roles with his touching portrayal of vulnerability.' He acknowledged the work of Widyawati, Sophiaan's real-life wife, in her role as Lestari, writing 'her character's generosity of spirit genuinely glows from her'. He shared that of the cast, the work of Acha Septriasa was a 'standout performance', writing 'her performance is so fluid and organic, it's hard to believe this is the same grating actress who shamelessly turned on the waterworks in Love is Cinta'. Liem concluded his review by summarizing 'In spite of its flaws, Love still gave this jaded viewer a warm fuzzy feeling all over as the credits rolled'.^[1]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abLiem, Iskandar (24 February 2008). 'A love–hate relationship with Kabir Bhatia's latest offering'. Jakarta Post. thejakartapost.com. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
2. ^ ^ab'Film 'Love' tidak Contek Film Luar Negeri'. Inilah (in Indonesian). artis.inilah.com/. 7 February 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2010.^{[dead link]}
3. ^'Laudya Chintya Bella Sayangi Anak Autis'. Kapalagi (in Indonesian). kapanlagi.com. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
4. ^Laura, Lady Asther (9 January 2008). 'Putus dari Irwansyah, Acha Septriasa Gaet Fauzi Baadilla'. Kabar Indonesia (in Indonesian). kabarindonesia.com. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
5. ^Liem, Iskandar (24 February 2008). 'A love–hate relationship with Kabir Bhatia's latest offering'. Jakarta Post. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
6. ^(in Indonesian) Love won Movie of the Year at 2008 Guardians e-Awards retrieved on 2008-08-17
7. ^(in Indonesian) Surya Saputra won Best Leading Actor (Love) at 2008 Guardians e-Awards retrieved on 2008-08-17
8. ^(in Indonesian) Acha Septriasa won Best Leading Actress (Love) at 2008 Guardians e-Awards retrieved on 2008-08-17
9. ^(in Indonesian) Sophan Sophiaan won Best Supporting Actor (Love) at 2008 Guardians e-Awards retrieved on 2008-08-17
10. ^(in Indonesian) Eddy Michael Santoso won Best Cinematography (Love) at 2008 Guardians e-Awards retrieved on 2008-08-17
11. ^(in Indonesian) Kabir Bhatia & Johan Bahar won Best Editing (Love) at 2008 Guardians e-Awards retrieved on 2008-08-17
12. ^(in Indonesian) Sophan Sophiaan won Favorite Actor (Love) at 2009 Indonesian Movie Awards retrieved on 2009-05-17

External links[edit]

• Love on IMDb