Only in a world with democracy and corruption to spare are gangsters treated like movie stars. Director Joshua Oppenheimer set out to explore the “nature of impunity” by offering celebrated Indonesian death squad leaders a cinematic platform on which to reenact their participation in the genocide of 1965 — in a genre of their own choosing. From location scouting to screening dailies, we follow real-life mass murderers Anwar Congo and Adi Zulkadry — a pair of killing machines who at one time looked to Hollywood as a means of inspiring even more brutal forms of execution — as they justify their crimes against humanity. The Act of Killing is the only 100% original work of cinema to come out this year. If you don’t believe me, ask master documentarians Errol Morris and Werner Herzog, both of whom were quick to sign on as executive producers. (2013) — Scott Marks
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