Citizen Kane (1941)Movies

World History Ideas Film “I have done that,” says my memory. “I cannot have done that,” says my pride, and remains inexorable. Eventually—memory yields. –Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil “The Act of Killing” proves Nietzsche was too optimistic. This surreal documentary, which feels more like Variety Hour in Hell, began when filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer found that it was impossible to get survivors of the brutal 1965-6 anti-Communist campaign in Indonesia to describe their experiences. He settled for what he considered the next best thing: interviews with the perpetrators. And for the reason Jean-Luc Godard gives here, that turned out to be the key to making one of the most eye-opening documentaries I’ve ever seen. Because...