OK, but not great. Powerful subject, handled with the right degree of respect and gravity. Yet, it is missing something to make it truly interesting. Seems to drag, particularly in the early and middle stages, and, in some ways, feel like a documentary.
Robert Connolly's direction often leaves a lot to be desired: odd/bad camera angles, unsteady tracking shots.
Decent performances though, especially by Anthony LaPaglia as Roger East and Oscar Isaac as Jose Ramos-Horta.
Worth watching for educational purposes, and to show the depths to which humans will sink, but don't watch it hoping for a great drama.
Balibo
2009
Biography / Drama / History / Mystery / Thriller
Balibo
2009
Biography / Drama / History / Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
As Indonesia prepares to invade the tiny nation of East Timor, five Australian based journalists go missing. Four weeks later, veteran foreign correspondent Roger East is lured to East Timor by the young and charismatic José Ramos-Horta to tell the story of his country and investigate the fate of the missing men. As East's determination to uncover the truth grows, the threat of invasion intensifies and an unlikely friendship develops between the last foreign correspondent in East Timor and the man who will become President. BALIBO is a political thriller that tells the true story of crimes that have been covered up for over thirty years.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
OK, but not great
A real hell of '75
Here's a different kind of horror story, cause it's true. A beefed up La Paglia, plays real life journalist Roger East, encouraged by a young activist from Timor, to do a story of five Aussie journalists who have just disappeared. They were traveling to Balibo, where we see two stories in play, between La Paglia and Company, and the five journal's ride to death, where the last ten minutes of the movie, hits hard and will affect, especially people who were there, when the country fell under evil Indonesian rule for the next, twenty four years, from which the activist who fled from the country all that time, returned, where there were no hard feelings from other people. La Paglia is really good, but so is the rest of the cast, Gameau's performance I really liked, apart from him being such a likable actor. The period is captured really well, again, a warning of what a dangerous place East Timor was. There are some scenes that will disturb, one in particular brought back memories of the scene in Salvador, with all those stretched out bodies in that big round pit. The story is a young surviving woman, who was a little girl at the time, where the little actress gave a cute performance. A really very disciplined approach to story.
Little known
A little known story about genocide in East Timor is well portrayed by Anthony LaPaglia and Oscar Isaac.