“Sadism, Sontag, and Snuff in The Act of Killing” (2021-2022)

I chose to write about The Act of Killing simply because I enjoyed the film. But as soon as I started researching, some severe and important critiques popped up and I thought oh no, I’m going to have to write a pretty brutal critique of a film that I thought was good. 

As it turns out, I didn’t have to do that, but only because I forced myself to truly listen to what those critics had to say about the film. The essay became a process of letting go of my preconceptions and embracing a side I was not sure I agreed with, and coincidentally, this is what The Act of Killing asks its audience to do too. There is almost always something to be learned, both about ourselves and our world, from stepping out of our views into someone else’s. It’s a lot of times uncomfortable and unenjoyable and in some ways almost feels wrong, but everyone stands to gain from lending patience and understanding to those whose reality seems entirely divorced from ours, shown to me by both this film and this essay.

Megan Maxfield (CAS ’24) studies journalism and sociology with a minor in French in the College of Arts and Science. Coming from a stereotypical suburban upbringing in Waunakee, Wisconsin, she had the stereotypical suburban dream of escaping to a faraway city, ending up in New York City. Drawing on her life-long desire to explore the wider world and the cultures that give it meaning, her essay examines how we can ethically and responsibly engage with foreign cultures.