Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act Of Killing

On the topic of counter points of view, the drama and somewhat ambiguous features of true crime documentaries are catalysts for audiences to think critically and be absorbed by the program’s atmosphere. At times, the line between what is considered morally correct is blurred and shifted after a viewer is drawn into the world of victims and criminals. A more fringe example of a true crime documentary that exemplifies this is Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing; the main focus being Anwar Congo, a paramilitary gangster who had killed over one thousand people during the Indonesian genocide. From the beginning, Congo’s goofy, and nonchalant demeanor sets the unsettling atmosphere as the audience sees a killer, who has had no repercussions for …show more content…
It is ironic considering the inherent reasons for making a documentary is to understand the details an event. Viewers seem more keen on the genre as a whole, more aware of the potential misdirection or rhetorical strategies implemented to sway the audience’s perspective such as disregarding the victims or adding gratuitous suspense. In the case of Serial, an investigative podcast series, a culmination of online detectives that gather over Reddit show how damaging the feeling of ambiguity or dissatisfaction can be towards the viewers and how there is, “ not much of a culture of respect for victims around even the most severe crimes” (Marsh). On a particular episode, the podcast turns its focus to a woman's diary, which was not released to the public due its classification as a personal object. Eventually people became so curious that police files of the case were released online, detailing many private details of the family involved. A strong criticism of the true crime documentary genre is that there is no respect or privacy given to those who have suffered and lived through the traumatic events. In essence, their stories are being diluted down to nothing more than sensational fantasy films that audience members can discuss and dissect. Had Serial been formatted like any other radio broadcast, is it possible that it would not pique the audience’s …show more content…
While cases like Dear Zachary, which expose the harsh reality of the Canadian Justice system that only allows extradition of criminals under undefined “exceptional circumstances” (Cortland 158), cases like Serial show the audience’s desire to seek out sensitive information in order to satisfy oneself. What both have in common is the feeling of skepticism and curiosity that comes from an involved true crime audience that seeks for answers and justice. As a result, the odd balance between entertainment and information in the genre seems to be individual and determined by individual documentaries, not necessarily the entire genre. Furthermore, the topic of public circulation of these programs and the subsequent actions has the potential “to encourage greater cultural sensitivity” (Durrani 594) because of its format and more dramatized revelation of events. Durrani’s analysis of the same episode of Serial points out that although the podcast “could be accused of being merely a piece of entertainment” (Durrani 595), the way that Koenig, the narrator, is able to convey her uncertainty on matters, “certainly gives her authority as the storyteller or journalist” (Durrani 595). Although an “academic version” of Serial may not be able to capture the same effects of curiosity due to the inherent need to be objective, is it fair to wonder when audience responsibility and decency