As prefaced in this post, this review has been quite difficult to put together. I generally find the more I love something or the more I relate to it, the harder it is to passionately and eloquently convey that feeling in words.

What I want to ensure is that whilst I will briefly describe why this film is close to my heart; the review itself will be as objective as I can write it. This is because it deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible; with or without knowing about my own personal connection.

I was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1981. However, my mother and two older sisters were born in East Timor, where my Mum met my Portuguese father who had gone to East Timor in 1969 to join the resistance. My father was a part of Fretilin, where he fought alongside Jose Ramos Horta and many others against the advancing Indonesian militia. Besides Horta, my father was one of the few who spoke English quite well, and spoke publicly on behalf of the East Timorese, and the freedom fighters fighting to keep this small country safe.

Whilst the story of the Balibo Five, as they were collectively known, is close to Australia’s heart, the film manages to convey it in an open manner, so that it can resonate with an international audience.

A major flaw of many Australian films is that they seemingly try so hard to convey the ‘uniqueness’ of Australian living, or stereotype it so massively that it polarises and antagonises any audience outside of the Australian coastline. The fact that this film manages to overcome that stereotype is such a relief.

Robert Connolly, and co-writer David Williamson treat the story of the Balibo Five with sensitivity, having researched it closely with historians, and consultants that know their subject matter.

The movie does not hold back in portraying what most people outside of Government understand; that these journalists were gunned down not by accident, but with the Indonesian militia fully aware that they were journalists trying to make the world aware of what was happening in this small and troubled nation.

The ensemble cast is led by Oscar Isaac (Body of Lies) in the role of now President Horta, and Anthony LaPaglia (Without A Trace) as Roger East – the sixth and lesser known journalist who travelled to East Timor to investigate the disappearance and murder of the Balibo Five.

LaPaglia, who played a key role in bringing this story to screen is strong, yet understated in playing a jaded journalist, close to retirement that does not think he’s got the stamina to be tracking down missing journalists. Despite his attachment to the film and lead role; the ensemble itself immerse themselves in their roles. Damon Gameau as Greg Shackleton had the possibly tougher role in portraying the best known of the five; his iconic editorial pieces still representative of the loss felt by their families, and Australia as a nation in 1975.

For Gyton Grantley and Nathan Phillips as Garry Cunningham and Malcolm Rennie respectively, setting aside the notoriety that came from appearing in Underbelly or Snakes on a Plane instilled more of a pressure on them to portray the journalists in the best possible manner. Cast and crew subsequently have acknowledged that being in Dili, being the first feature film to be shot there has been life changing. The five actors stayed in the same place of those they depict – making it more than blindly reading from a script. This was real; there was a real loss, felt by more than one nation.

This sensitive characterisation as the young, passionate journalists are so believable and so intrinsically nuanced and considerate to the story that the viewer is with them. In Dili, in Balibo with their wide-eyed excitement and sense of adventure we are there with them thanks to an authentic looking 1970s East Timor and Darwin backdrop, shot by Tristan Milani (The Bank, Three Dollars)

With an authentic, and stirring score – contributed to by the wondrous Lisa Gerrard (whose hauntingly distinctive voice has featured in Black Hawk Down, Man On Fire, and Ali to name a few) – this has to be the most compelling, confronting Australian films I can recall.

Aside from personal association, and the memories of family and stories conjured by those directly related to the production of this film; it’s a hard movie to watch. For all the right reasons.

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