They walk in our midst...

...the killers, and the survivors. No wonder the events of 1965/66 have been an almost taboo topic in this country for nearly 50 years. It is still raw.

Was it crazy brave of Betelnut to screen this film on Saturday, Independence Day?  It certainly felt slightly unnerving, a little bit dangerous, to be watching here, in Indonesia.

A film maker himself, expat Daniel Ziv gave an introduction that brought greetings from Joshua Oppenheimer the director. The film is not banned here, but screenings are discreet. A film that has dozens of 'Anonymous'  in the rolling credits shows that it is still not entirely safe to speak out. Independence Day was chosen, we were told, because when you love a country and celebrate its achievements you have to understand the bad stuff as well as the good.

With horrendous subject matter - Oppenheimer asked some of the killers to explain their actions during the time of the massacres, which they did with some relish - it is the technique which makes this more than a horror film. A straightforward talking heads / archival footage documentary could not have anything like the impact. Brilliantly, Oppenheimer gave a select group of self-confessed killers in North Sumatra the resources to tell their story through film. Over seven years he recorded their process - a film about their film - and the result is The Act of Killing, which is likely to feature in many awards ceremonies in coming months.  But probably not in Indonesia. We did not have to be told by a third party the almost unbelievable extent of these crimes - it came from the killers' own mouths. If any regret was shown, it appeared hollow. The bragging, the vanity and the self delusion that unfolded personalised this film in a very particular way.

The events happened nearly half a century ago but many of the perpetrators are still alive. The youngest of those involved would not yet be 70. And children who witnessed the murder of parents are now men and women in their 50s. They walk in our midst. The film focused on North Sumatra, but we know that what we see occurred all over Indonesia. Including Bali. The death toll can never be known accurately, but estimates go up to two million. The West turned their political backs, and the killers have never faced international courts. For the first time I understand why these years are not talked about in Indonesia. The pain would be unbearable, but perhaps this film will give permission for a national conversation. Or not. One bizarre scene features these gangsters on morning television with a fawning interviewer treating them as heroes.

Permuda Pancasila, the youth paramilitary organisation, remains a powerful force that has support in the highest places. Corruption is still a given. The Act of Killing reminds us that the past is also the present.

Oppenheimer has made an important,  heartbreaking, frightening film that is, almost impossibly, laced with dark humour as well as some nauseating imagery.

With Presidential elections due in 2014 we will be watching the Indonesian political process with interest. With Australian elections due in a few weeks, we remember that democracy is never a commodity to be taken for granted.

The trailer is on YouTube but I can't see an embed code.