DOCUMENTARY AS MONTAGE

Abstract

The documentary work of Malaysian director Amir Muhammad is characterised by the montage-like style of his films. This article will consider Amir's The year of living vicariously through Walter Benjamin's notion of montage found in The arcades project. The year of living vicariously is based on a variety of interviews carried out by Amir in 2004 on the set of the Indonesian film Gie. The interviews are with the cast and crew of the film and the film itself is organised around a split screen. In addition to the continuous simultaneity of the split screen, often the film situates the production of the past (in the filming of Gie) juxtaposed to anxieties of the present. In the interviews and stories presented by Amir a number of ambivalent themes emerge, including the future role and power of the military, the role of corruption in Indonesian politics, the unresolved questions and politics surrounding 30 September Movement (G30S), apathy, or consumption. I will argue that this film provides a limited yet insightful account of the ambivalence of post-authoritarian Indonesia and in doing so it highlights the potential for montage to serve as the foundation for new forms of documentary.