《沉默之像》印尼大屠杀受害者的亲属寻求答案

In 'Look of Silence,' Relatives of Indonesian Genocide Victims Seek Answers 《沉默之像》印尼大屠杀受害者的亲属寻求答案

NEW YORK—

Two award-winning documentaries about the unreconciled history of mass killings² in Indonesia 50 years ago are leading to calls for change in that country, and for the U.S. to apologize for its own part in supporting a genocidal regime.

Joshua Oppenheimer’s 2012 film, "The Act of Killing¹," explored the legacy³ of government-led massacres⁴ of communists, trade-unionists, ethnic⁵ Chinese and others in Indonesia in 1965 and 1966.

“There was a right-wing military coup⁶, where the government of Sukarno was overthrown,” Oppenheimer said. “This was supported by most of the Western world, including the United States, and to effect this, somewhere between half a million and 2.5 million people were killed in less than six months.”

End of military dictatorship

Even 16 years after the end of Suharto’s military dictatorship, the former paramilitary death-squad⁷ killers⁸ and their protégés remain powerful and respected.

“And people remain afraid of them,” Oppenheimer said. “It is as though the Nazis⁹ had won World War II, and you went there 40 years later to find them still in power, as if the rest of the world had celebrated¹⁰ the Holocaust¹¹ while it was taking place.”

The 40 or so killers that Oppenheimer interviewed for the Oscar-nominated "The Act of Killing" boasted with seeming pride about the murders.

Among them were Hollywood movie buffs who spent months reenacting the butchery for the camera, imitating the tropes and styles of their favorite gangster¹² movies and Westerns.

“When you brought two perpetrators together who didn’t know one another, they would boast in even more flamboyant¹³ ways, [as if] they were reading essentially¹⁴ from a shared script,” Oppenheimer said.

“I had to let go of this reassuring¹⁵ hope that there’s something fundamentally different about these men. I had to recognize that if there’s insanity¹⁶ here, if there’s monstrosity, it’s political, it’s collective," he added.

Victims' families

Oppenheimer’s second Indonesia film, "The Look of Silence," now showing in the United States, won the top prize at last year’s Venice Film Festival.

It focuses on those he originally met and began filming 12 years ago: family members of victims, still living in fear, stigmatized¹⁷ and banned from many professions.

The film’s protagonist¹⁸ is Adi Rukun, a quiet optometrist¹⁹ in his early 40s, born after the murder of his older brother Ramli by a death squad composed of teachers from the local elementary school.

Another brother overheard them planning, Oppenheimer said.  

“[He was] at lunch in the recess²⁰ at school, and heard his teachers saying ‘tonight we’re going to kill Ramli.’ And he had to go home that night and tell his mother what his teachers said," he said.

"Ramli was indeed killed that night. And the next day, what did she have to do? She had to send her other children back to that school to be taught by her son’s murderers," Oppenheimer said.

Even now, Oppenheimer said, Indonesian schoolchildren are taught that the mass killings were necessary and patriotic²¹.

'Heroic extermination²²'

“It’s not talked about as a genocide, it’s talked about as the heroic extermination of the Indonesian left, and what’s taught is that they somehow deserved what happened to them,” Oppenheimer said.

In "The Look of Silence," Adi Rukun gently but persistently²³ questions the men who killed his brother and others like him, even in the face of their rising anger and veiled threats.

“If I came to you like this during the military dictatorship, what would you have done to me?” he asks one.

“You can’t imagine what would have happened,” the man replies. “If you keep making an issue of the past, it will definitely happen again,” says another.

When the film came out last year, Rukun and his family had to be relocated to another part of Indonesia.

Threats

The Indonesian crew on "The Look of Silence," as on "The Act of Killing," chose to be listed only as “anonymous” in the closing credits.

Oppenheimer, an American who lives in Denmark, has received death threats and said he cannot safely visit Indonesia again.

But the two films have reverberated²⁴ in the country, leading to open discussions for the first time about the killings and the culture of silence and fear they engendered²⁵.

“The public is now talking about these things. "The Act of Killing" began its life in secret, but ultimately has screened thousands of times across the country," he said.

"It was online for free for Indonesians, and was downloaded millions of times. When it was nominated for an Academy Award, the president’s spokesman said, ‘Look, we know what happened in 1965 was a crime against humanity, and we need reconciliation²⁶, we just don’t need a film to make us do this.’ Yet it was a wonderful moment, because it was the first time someone at this level had said this was wrong,” Oppenheimer said.

Premiered in Jakarta

In contrast to the samizdat-like first screenings of "The Act of Killing," he said, "The Look of Silence" premiered in Jakarta at a screening advertised on banners, and hosted by Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission and the Jakarta Arts Council.

Major Indonesian media outlets²⁷ named it the top film of 2014, Oppenheimer said.

“The government also has – I think in response to this debate that 'The Look of Silence' really triggered [although] they haven’t said it – has introduced a truth and reconciliation bill," he said.

"It’s woefully inadequate²⁸ at this point, but human rights organizations and the public and media, now that they’re talking about this, are easily able to point out its inadequacies and to rally for a stronger bill," Oppenheimer added.

In the United States, Democratic Senator Tom Udall has introduced a resolution calling for the U.S. to disclose all documents relating to American support for the Indonesian military coup and genocidal regime.

The resolution notes that the U.S. gave the Indonesian army “financial, military, and intelligence support during the period of the mass killings, and did so aware that such killings were taking place as recorded in partially²⁹ declassified³⁰ documents,” and notes that aid to the Suharto regime continued for more than 30 years, “despite ongoing³¹ crimes against humanity.”

Udall reportedly plans to reintroduce the resolution in the current congressional session.

October 1st will mark the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the mass killings in Indonesia.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

7 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

8 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

9 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

11 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

12 gangster   

n.匪徒，歹徒，暴徒

参考例句：

• The gangster's friends bought off the police witness.那匪徒的朋友买通了警察方面的证人。
• He is obviously a gangster,but he pretends to be a saint.分明是强盗，却要装圣贤。

13 flamboyant   

adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
• The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。

14 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

15 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

16 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

17 stigmatized   

v.使受耻辱，指责，污辱( stigmatize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was stigmatized as an ex-convict. 他遭人污辱，说他给判过刑。 来自辞典例句
• Such a view has been stigmatized as mechanical jurisprudence. 蔑称这种观点为机械法学。 来自辞典例句

18 protagonist   

n.(思想观念的)倡导者；主角，主人公

参考例句：

• The protagonist reforms in the end and avoids his proper punishment.戏剧主角最后改过自新并避免了他应受的惩罚。
• He is the model for the protagonist in the play.剧本中的主人公就是以他为模特儿创作的！

19 optometrist   

n.验光师，配镜师

参考例句：

• Where can I find a good optometrist?我在哪里能找一个好的验光师呢？
• If you need glasses,you should see an optometrist.若是你要配眼镜，你要找去验光师。

20 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

21 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

22 extermination   

n.消灭，根绝

参考例句：

• All door and window is sealed for the extermination of mosquito. 为了消灭蚊子，所有的门窗都被封闭起来了。 来自辞典例句
• In doing so they were saved from extermination. 这样一来却使它们免于绝灭。 来自辞典例句

23 persistently   

ad.坚持地；固执地

参考例句：

• He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。
• She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

24 reverberated   

回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射

参考例句：

• Her voice reverberated around the hall. 她的声音在大厅里回荡。
• The roar of guns reverberated in the valley. 炮声响彻山谷。

25 engendered   

v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The issue engendered controversy. 这个问题引起了争论。
• The meeting engendered several quarrels. 这次会议发生了几次争吵。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

27 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

28 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

29 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

30 declassified   

adj.解密的v.对（机密文件等）销密( declassify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Thousands of classified documents have now been declassified. 数以千计的保密文件现在被解密了。
• The software used for Siemens S7-300 encryption logic block declassified. 此软件用于对西门子S7-300加密逻辑块解密。

31 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。