Great and misplaced expectations

Around the world, The Act of Killing (TAOK) has deeply affected its viewers, especially non-Indonesians, and has the potential to make a greater impact on Indonesia’s historiography. However, it has also raised ill-fitting expectations and generated several misplaced criticisms. While some criticize the film for
what it does not show, or does not show enough, others have raised high expectations for what the film will do to alter the status quo in Indonesia. I will respond briefly to a few examples of the former, but will discuss at greater length, the problematics of the latter.