Balibo (2009)

User Rating:

(awaiting 5 votes)

Director:

Robert Connolly

Writers:

Robert Connolly (writer)
David Williamson (written by)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

War correspondent Roger East and the young Jose Ramos-Horta travel to East Timor to investigate the murders of the Balibo Five in 1975.

Plot Keywords:

Political Thriller | One Word Title | Town Name In Title | Place Name In Title

Cast

Anthony LaPaglia	...	Roger East
Oscar Isaac	...	Jose Ramos-Horta
Nathan Phillips
Gyton Grantley	...	Garry Cunningham
Damon Gameau	...	Greg Shackleton
Tom Wright	...	Brian Peters
Paul Sonkkila	...	McGuire
Mark Leonard Winter
Mark Winter

Runtime:

Australia:90 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Commission, The

Beautifully done.

As someone with a long-standing interest in the history of East Timor, I had mixed feelings about this film, and how the people and events would be depicted. However, Robert Connolly did a great job, considering all of the constraints of a limited budget that he had. It did not go into minute detail about the historical events, but nor did it dumb down and sex up.

What happened to the Balibo Five and Roger East is only a very small fraction of the story of what happened in East Timor in 1975, and there will be accusations that the deaths of half a dozen Westerners are given more prominence than what happened to a far greater number of East Timorese. However, the East Timorese actors in the film, none of whom were professional actors, were tremendous - not least as they were reenacting events that they and their families were familiar with.