Let's be crystal clear: this is not for kids, not for teens, probably not even for high schoolers unless they're in an AP History class with serious preparation and discussion.

But for adults? It's a masterpiece. The Act of Killing is one of the most important and innovative documentaries of our time—a film that invents a completely new way of confronting historical atrocity by asking perpetrators to stage their own crimes as movie scenes. The result is surreal, disturbing, and unforgettable.

The film follows Anwar Congo and other members of Indonesian death squads who killed over a million people in the 1965-66 anti-communist purges. These men were never prosecuted—they're still celebrated as heroes in Indonesia. Director Joshua Oppenheimer's genius move was asking them to reenact their killings in whatever film genres they loved: gangster movies, westerns, musicals. The result is both absurdist theater and devastating moral document.

It's not an easy watch. These men describe strangling people with wire, throwing bodies in rivers, and worse—often with smiles and laughter. The film's power comes from its refusal to look away from this moral void. By the end, even some perpetrators begin to crack, confronting what they've done.

This is essential viewing for anyone trying to understand genocide, propaganda, historical memory, and human nature's darkest corners. But it requires emotional readiness and maturity. Save this one for adults who are prepared for serious, challenging cinema.