The Look of Silence
Seen it?2014 | 100 min | History, Documentary
Friday Night FlickWhy it’s a Friday Night Flick
Critics loved it (96% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it drew serious awards attention. Make plans for this one.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious and history buffs. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Harrowing, eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 40 min.
- What might put you off
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
An Indonesian man with a communist background named Ramli was brutally murdered when the "Communist" purge occurred in 1965. His remaining family members lived in fear and silence until the making of this documentary. Adi, a brother of his, decided to revisit the horrific incident and visited the men who were responsible for the killings and one survivor of the purge. These meetings uncovered sadistic details of the murders and exposed raw emotions and reactions of the killers' family members about what happened in the past - much to Adi's disappointment.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 92 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.8 out of 10
- AwardsStrong
Won 1 Venice award: Venice International Film Festival: Best Documentary. Won 1 Berlin award: Berlin International Film Festival: The Best Documentary. Also nominated for 1 Oscar. Plus 32 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerWeak
$333K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 71K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
- Adi RukunSelf
- M.Y. BasrunSelf
- Amir HasanSelf (archive footage)
- InongSelf
- KematSelf
- Joshua OppenheimerSelf (voice)
- Amir SiahaanSelf
- Ted YatesSelf (archive footage)