During the military coup of 1965 the Indonesian army enlisted criminals to execute over a million supposed communists. They were never taken to court for their actions, quite the opposite: they are seen as rolemodels for paramilitary groups. When they are asked to make a film about their past, they cannot wait to play themselves as movie stars. "The Act of Killing" is a shocking journey through the memories and fantasies of these mass murderers who have come out on top and the kind of society they helped build.