The Look of Silence
Synopsis
An Indonesian man with a communist background named Ramli was brutally murdered when the "Communist" purge occurred in 1965. His remaining family members lived in fear and silence until the making of this documentary. Adi, a brother of his, decided to revisit the horrific incident and visited the men who were responsible for the killings and one survivor of the purge. These meetings uncovered sadistic details of the murders and exposed raw emotions and reactions of the killers' family members about what happened in the past - much to Adi's disappointment.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
The Look of Silence - Official TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2015-06-01
Top Cast
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Release History & Theatrical Window
Sarajevo Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
July 17, 2015
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
Undisclosed
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$333K
Total global ticket sales
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Joshua Oppenheimer
- Original Score
- Seri Banang, Mana Tahan
- Original Title
- The Look of Silence
- Country of Origin
- Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Norway, United Kingdom, United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- Indonesian, Javanese, English
- Runtime
- 1h 40m
- Worldwide Gross
- $333K
- Production Studios
- Making Movies, Final Cut for Real, Piraya Film, Spring Films, Anonymous, Britdoc Foundation, Participant, Doc Society
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Joshua Oppenheimer
Seri Banang, Mana Tahan
Lars Skree
Nils Pagh Andersen
Werner Herzog, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Errol Morris, André Singer
Department Leadership Roster
Joshua Oppenheimer
Director
Nils Pagh Andersen
Editor
Mana Tahan
Original Music Composer
Signe Byrge Sørensen
Producer
Lars Skree
Director of Photography
Seri Banang
Original Music Composer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Look of Silence.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Look of Silence.
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:41:36 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 250 Documentary Films
Letterboxd's official Top 250 documentary feature films, ranked by average member rating. Letterboxd 官方 Top 250 最佳纪录长片榜单： 根据平台用户的平均评分进行排序的纪录长片精选榜单。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:38:00 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Look of Silence
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Look of Silence about?
An Indonesian man with a communist background named Ramli was brutally murdered when the "Communist" purge occurred in 1965. His remaining family members lived in fear and silence until the making of this documentary. Adi, a brother of his, decided to revisit the horrific incident and visited the men who were responsible for the killings and one survivor of the purge. These meetings uncovered sadistic details of the murders and exposed raw emotions and reactions of the killers' family members about what happened in the past - much to Adi's disappointment.
Who directed The Look of Silence?
The Look of Silence was directed by Joshua Oppenheimer.
Who stars in The Look of Silence?
The principal cast of The Look of Silence includes Adi Rukun, M.Y. Basrun, Amir Hasan, Inong, Kemat.
When was The Look of Silence released and how long is it?
The Look of Silence was released in 2014 with a total runtime of 1h 40m.
How much did The Look of Silence make at the box office?
The Look of Silence grossed $333K in worldwide ticket sales.
Who composed the musical score for The Look of Silence?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Look of Silence was composed by Seri Banang, Mana Tahan.
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Look of Silence?
The Look of Silence holds official age classifications: CA: 18A.