The Banality of Ghosts: Searching for Humanity with Joshua Oppenheimer in The Act of Killing

Abstract

In The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, GB/DK/NO/ 2012), Joshua Oppenheimer searches for humanity by assessing the rituals, routines and words of former perpe-trators who participated in the 1965/66 genocide in Medan, Indonesia. This article puts The Act of Killing in the context of Oppenheimer’s writings on film and violence and explores how his film negotiates humanity by working with a missionary para-digm of expressive guilt that serves not only the director but also a critical audience to give a happy ending