In making this documentary, director Joshua Oppenheimer offered the leaders of the 1965 Indonesian death squads the opportunity to dramatize their memories of their war crimes in any cinematic style they wanted. The killers have proudly lived in power with the memories of their murders for almost half a century, and the film initially just chronicles their brutal history. However, the memories become a powerful teaching tool that reminds both the characters and the viewer that some things may be impossible to forget, but it should never be impossible to forgive.
—Evan Cogswell