Movies Like The Act of Killing (2012)

The Act of Killing is a 2012 documentary film from Joshua Oppenheimer with a MovieMagicScore of 7.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Look of Silence and 13th.

Documentary

The Look of Silence

2014

An optician grapples with the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966, during which his older brother was exterminated.

7.8

MagicScore

13th

2016

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

7.9

MagicScore

Seaspiracy

2021

Passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species — and uncovers an alarming global conspiracy.

7.8

MagicScore

HyperNormalisation

2016

We live in a world where the powerful deceive us. We know they lie. They know we know they lie. They do not care. We say we care, but we do nothing, and nothing ever changes. It is normal. Welcome to the post-truth world. How we got to where we are now…

7.5

MagicScore

Writing with Fire

2021

In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women. Armed with smartphones, Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions on the frontlines of India’s biggest issues and within the confines of their own homes, redefining what it means to be powerful.

7.3

MagicScore

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

2021

A cheap, powerful drug emerges during a recession, igniting a moral panic fueled by racism. Explore the complex history of crack in the 1980s.

6.8

MagicScore

The Society of the Spectacle

1974

Guy Debord's analysis of a consumer society.

6.7

MagicScore

Fuck

2006

A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.

6.4

MagicScore

War Photographer

2001

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Into the Inferno

2016

With stunning views of eruptions and lava flows, Werner Herzog captures the raw power of volcanoes and their ties to indigenous spiritual practices.

7.0

MagicScore

#11

Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso

2023

This documentary delves into the unanswered questions surrounding the trial of Jessica Wongso — years after the death of her best friend, Mirna Salihin.

6.4

MagicScore

#12

What's Up with Cinta?

2002

A popular high school girl strains her relationship with her close-knit clique when she begins falling for a reclusive, lower-class schoolmate.

7.7

MagicScore

#13

The Night Comes for Us

2018

After sparing a girl's life during a massacre, an elite Triad assassin is targeted by an onslaught of murderous gangsters.

6.9

MagicScore

#14

The Year of Living Dangerously

1982

A young Australian reporter tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a diminutive photographer.

6.7

MagicScore

#15

Gold

2016

Kenny Wells, a modern-day prospector, hustler, and dreamer, is desperate for a lucky break. Left with few options, Wells teams up with an equally luckless geologist to execute a grandiose, last-ditch effort: to find gold deep in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia.

6.6

MagicScore

#16

Merantau

2009

In Minangkabau, West Sumatera, Yuda a skilled practitioner of Silat Harimau is in the final preparations to begin his "Merantau" a century's old rites-of-passage to be carried out by the community's young men that will see him leave the comforts of his idyllic farming village and make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta.

6.5

MagicScore

#17

Ticket to Paradise

2022

Divorced couple Georgia and David find themselves on a shared mission: they team up and travel to Bali to stop their daughter Lily from making the same mistake they once made 25 years ago.

6.4

MagicScore

#18

Paradise Road

1997

A group of English, American, Dutch and Australian women creates a vocal orchestra while being imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp on Sumatra during World War II.

6.4

MagicScore

#19

Eat Pray Love

2010

Liz Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having – a husband, a house and a successful career – yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy, the power of prayer in India and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali.

6.2

MagicScore

#20

After the Dark

2013

At an international school in Jakarta, a philosophy teacher challenges his class of twenty graduating seniors to choose which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race in the event of a nuclear apocalypse.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Act of Killing?

The top films similar to The Act of Killing by MovieMagicScore are The Look of Silence (7.8), 13th (7.9), Seaspiracy (7.8). Each shares documentary themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Act of Killing worth watching?

The Act of Killing holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.7/10 from 725 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is The Act of Killing?

The Act of Killing (2012) is a documentary film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, starring Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Act of Killing?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more documentary recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Look of Silence Movies like 13th Movies like Seaspiracy Movies like HyperNormalisation Movies like Writing with Fire Movies like Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

About movies like The Act of Killing

This ranked list pairs The Act of Killing (2012), a documentary film from Joshua Oppenheimer, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Anwar Congo take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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