"I could probably get into Indonesia without incident. I’m just not sure I would get out alive again," director Joshua Oppenheimer recently told The New York Times about the possibility of returning to Indonesia. And that simple statement speaks volumes about the impact his documentaries "The Act Of Killing," and the newly released "The Look Of Silence" have had in getting to the painful heart of the Indonesian genocide. It has reopened wounds in the nation, and around the world, and the filmmaker drew inspiration from master documentarians in crafting his work.
In this exclusive featurette, Oppenheimer speaks with passion and great articulation about the films of Werner Herzog and Errol Morris — who have also been producers on his films — in his approach. In Herzog, he admires the "fever dream" of his non-fiction and narrative work, while in Morris he’s fascinated by the "role of storytelling" in the heads of the subjects he tackles. Oppenheimer has clearly studied both filmmakers extensively and that they’ve supported his films in turn is a lovely symbiosis.
"The Look Of Silence" is now playing in limited release. Watch below.