The 2005 tsunami suddenly turned the isolated Indonesian province of Aceh into a household name. Yet the deeper story of the Acehnese and their long struggle for independence remains largely unknown. Filmed over four years, The Black Road is a harrowing account of a journalist determined to find the truth and tell the world. William Nessen gains the friendship of the top Indonesian general in the province and patrols with his men. He marries a local translator 'trusted by the military' but working secretly for the independence movement. The security forces kidnap his 'best man', an outspoken human rights activist. Nessen lives for many months with the independence guerrillas. Pulled deeper and deeper into the conflict, he wrestles with the dilemma of remaining an observer in a place of terrible misdeeds.

But there is some laughter here too, and the possibility of healing. The film is a story about how people endure, struggle and maintain their dignity against odds.