In the year following the Indonesian military coup of 1965, pro-regime paramilitaries of the Pancasila Youth and sadistic criminals killed more than a million alleged communists. These murders went unpunished and the perpetrators remain influential even today. In order to get them to face up to the crimes they have committed, Joshua Oppenheimer agreed to film the men recreating their acts in the style of the films they love. The result is a unique and disturbing film.