Balibo

This is a stunning film which didn't get much publicity in the U.S. I don't know if it's due to politics. Or maybe we're all so busy dealing with current day atrocities that we've all forgotten about the ones that took place in East Timor in the 1970's. Anthony LaPaglia is perfect in the role of Roger East, an aging, burned out Australian journalist who is invited by East Timor official Jose Ramos-Horta (Oscar Isaac) to come to his country and cover the Indonesian invasion of that small country. Ramos-Horta wants the world to know about the mass killing of his people. East is especially interested in the deaths of five young Australian TV journalists who were covering the invasion. Are five dead white people more newsworthy than thousands of poor indigenous dead people? Good question. Bottom line is, for political reasons, the Australian government didn't want anybody making a fuss about it. Both actors give heartfelt performances. The scenes of carnage are horrifying. The cinematography is glorious and painstakingly real. You feel like you are there. Filmmaker Robert Connolly has done something vastly important here. It shakes us out of our comfortable complacency. Unpleasant as the subject matter may be, it can't be dismissed. It made me think of the quote from Spanish philosopher George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Watching Balibo was a pleasant surprise, I wasn't expecting much from this film. However, when the credits rolled I couldn't stop thinking about it for some time. Very strong performances from the main cast and my favourite role from Lapaglia.

powerful. thought provoking. intense through and through. the story is a snapshot of a moment in time and world history told through the lens of these australian journalists and the timorese people that were living through this horrific era in their country's history. so moving to see the human scale impact of war and invasion and foreign policy.

Excellent scripting, cinamatography, and editing. Director was spot on in pulling together 3 separate time frames in a seamless fashion. Acting was very good and believable. Music was haunting, powerful; yet beautiful. Audiences worldwide need to see this docu-drama telling a little known real life event. How a more powerful country conquered a peaceful one, while the rest of the world's nations stood by doing nothing. Some aiding, abetting and/or heads stuck in the sand.

A good historical piece on the death of the Balibo 5 during the Indonesian conquest of East Timor.

Interesting bio on real events. Great scenery.

Really important and harrowing film. The Australian Government had, and still has, a lot to answer for, particularly the deaths of these men

This truly riveting and important political thriller exposes without any concessions a horrendous episode in History that has been kept in silence for a long time, and it is always fluid in the way it shows us what happened to Roger East in parallel with the tragic fate of the Balibo Five.

Watching it now. I agree with the rating!

Extremely well made film that portrays the recklessness of the television crew who died trying to film the brutal invasion of East Timor but also makes you feel anger for their deaths and for the hundreds of thousands of the local people that died during the ensuing 25 years of occupation by Indonesia. The characters of Jose Ramos Horta and Roger East are very well portrayed and you see the beginning of a life on the world political stage for one and the courageous finale to a journalistic career for the other. A gripping drama from start to finish.