Raimond Gaita, after viewing the film adaptation of his memoir, Romulus, My Father, told director Robert Connolly: 'There's not one event in this film that happened as it happened in my life. But there is not one event in this film that is untrue.'
That distinction, between 'fact' and 'truth', may seem amorphous. But consider the ways in which a film can place its viewer in the shoes — or behind the eyes — of its characters.
'One of my favourite films is The Killing Fields,' says Connolly. 'The truth of what the Khmer Rouge did in Cambodia is firmly planted in my mind because I walked through the Killing Fields in that fictional film. It documented the tragedy through fiction.'
'Cinema,' he adds, 'can take the audience
somewhere and show them a tragedy in a
way that creates an empathy in them, which is more powerful than
just presenting a series of facts.'
Connolly achieves something similar with his new film, Balibo. Set in East Timor, within that fragile window in 1975 between Portuguese decolonistion and invasion by Indonesia, Balibo recounts the murders of six Australian journalists and technicians by the Indonesian military.
The film, based on journalist Jill Jolliffe's 'definitive' account, cross-cuts between two timelines: the final days of the five young TV journalists and technicians who were killed at Balibo during the first moments of the invasion; and the fateful, fatal efforts by seasoned journalist Roger East to find out the truth of the plight of the Balibo Five.
They are redemptive character arcs, particularly for East (Anthony La Paglia) and Channel 7 news reporter Greg Shackleton (Damon Gameau). All six set out with a degree of self-interest, but through their travels and their encounters with the East Timorese they are awakened to the injustices suffered within that nation.
'I was interested in exploring the ability of this country to compel people to tell its story,' says Connolly. 'It's hard not to start caring for what happened there. The journey from self-interest to compassion is at the heart of the film. It is just as relevant today. The film throws that challenge down.'
It has been widely reported that Connolly's script (written with David Williamson) fictionalises events and speculates on the dynamics between characters. Sure — some license is necessary, even in a film that's 'Based on a true story'. That said, the 'centrepiece' scenes, the murders, were carefully reconstructed from historical evidence.
'I was most keen that the murders of