AllMovie

Celebrated documentary filmmakers Errol Morris and Werner Herzog act as executive producers on Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine Cynn's deeply chilling documentary exploring mankind's frightening capacity for violence. Desperate to understand the rationale behind the mass killings of Communists in Indonesia during the 1960s, Oppenheimer and Cynn present former Indonesian death squad leader Anwar Congo with a unique opportunity -- reenact his savage crimes for the camera in the style of his favorite Hollywood films, and allow him the opportunity to speak candidly about his memories and motivations for committing mass murder. Later, as Congo recalls the various methods he and his followers used to intimidate and slaughter scores of Communists, the reality of his heinous transgressions begin to set in, and vivid nightmares fill his nights with unspeakable terror.