The best film I've seen so far this year is Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing.  Produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris, the documentary focuses on executioners from 1965-66 Indonesia who were allowed to murder practically anyone they wanted, and are still treated as heroes today.  Because of their utter lack of remorse, Oppenheimer asks them to direct recreations of their atrocities. The trailer hints at the dark and twisted plot without giving away too much.  But even by showing scenes from near the end of the movie, this is a film that can't be spoiled.  No trailer can recreate the absolutely chilling experience of watching this documentary.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, and click here to read my review from SXSW.  The Act of Killing opens July 19th.

Via The Film Stage.

Here's the official synopsis for The Act of Killing:

In this chilling and inventive documentary, executive produced by Errol Morris (The Fog of War) and Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man), the filmmakers examine a country where death squad leaders are celebrated as heroes, challenging them to reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of the American movies they love. The hallucinatory result is a cinematic fever dream, an unsettling journey deep into the imaginations of mass murderers and the shockingly banal regime of corruption and impunity they inhabit. Shaking audiences at the 2012 Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals, The Act of Killing is an unprecedented film and, according to the Los Angeles Times, “could well change how you view the documentary form.”