Oh Balibo

I knew about the death of the five Australian journalists in Balibo but the passage of time had put a lid on it for me - until this movie. Years ago, I had talked to Tony Maniaty about it and he gave me some insight into the situation they had all faced, but nothing prepared me for this....especially Tony's appearance in the film played by a not-very-look-alike actor.

The story is beautifully handled by Robert Connolly who gave the opening and closing scenes to a local Timorese - a fictitious young girl whose testimony to the Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission is heart wrenching.

I have never seen East Timor in anything other than angry documentaries or news footage so to see the landscape lovingly filmed was a relief, considering it forms the background to the messy, restless horror of that time. I was impressed by the reality of the reconstructed scenes and squirmed in remembrance of the awful clothes. The cast captures the exuberant recklessness of the team with great charm but it's the knowledge of the oncoming train wreck and the persistence of the doggedly middle aged Anthony Lapaglia that grounds the film.

The end, when it comes for them all is violent and shocking. As bad as the opening scenes of 'Master and Commander' in its realism but I wish they had not included some of it in their trailer. It should come to us with as near a sense of shock as it did to them.

Translate this back in time and place and we could have been reading Greek tragedy. It was certainly not Australia's finest hour.

To see the trailer of' Balibo',click here: