Triple J, 13 August 2009
"...Could well be the movie of the year, full stop!..." - Marc Fennell
Listen here

Upstart Magazine, 15 August 2009
"...A film every journalism student should see..." - Erdem Koc
Full review here

Pick of the Flicks smh.com.au, 13 August 2009
"...Scarily true, beautifully done....." - Giles Hardie
Watch it here

The Age, 13 August 2009
Balibo: Review - Phillipa Hawker
"...Rich and engaged, Balibo is full of visceral energy....."
Full review here

Time Off, 13 August 2009
"...Every so often we are reminded of cinema’s potential to at once entertain, inform and inspire. Australian writer/director Robert Connolly’s political thriller Balibo has such power, shedding light on war crimes that have been covered up for more than 30 years...." - Adam Brunes
Full review here

Sydney Morning Herald 13 August 2009
Balibo: Review - Paul Byrnes
"...BALIBO is tragic, dramatic and enraging...it is incredibly moving and powerful, not least because of Anthony LaPaglia's great performance as Roger East, the forgotten sixth Australian journalist..."
Full review here

Shirley Shackleton reviews Balibo, New Matilda 11 August 2009...
"...Arenafilm and their crew have done Australians a great service in making this film. The story of the Balibo Five has now been told: generations who were not alive in 1975 will be better able to grasp the significance of this episode of our national history. In raising awareness about East Timor's struggle for independence, Balibo asks us to reflect upon — and ultimately to care about — the fortunes of our closest neighbours. Not only will Australian audiences bear witness to the brutality and injustice of the murders of the Balibo Five, they will grapple with the events they were covering: Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975 and the apparent indifference of the international community to this act of violence....."
Full review here

Brisbane Times, 11 August 2009...
The best Aussie film in years, maybe ever... - John Birmingham
"...Balibo was not just the best Aussie film I've seen in years, possibly ever. It was just one of the best films I've ever seen, full stop....a witty, exciting, intelligent action-thriller, driven by insight and violence in equal measure, brilliantly, scripted, performed, filmed and edited...."
Full review here

Sun Herald, 9 August 2009...
Plight of the East hits home in the West, 8/10- Tom Ryan
"...Whenever politically engaged filmmaking like this finds its way into mainstream - as it has also in recent US cinema (Lions for Lambs, Rendition) - it deserves attention. In many cases, including Balibo, it's also a cause for celebration...."

Daily Telegraph, 8 August 2009...
Powerful story of death on our doorstep - Vicky Roach
"...Gallipoli, Breaker Morant, The Year of Living Dangerously....It's been more than two decades since Australia has seen a greaet, homegrown war movie. Balibo fills the void...."

Sunday Telegraph, 9 August 2009...
Rage fuels a Masterpiece, 5 Stars - Ben McEachen
"...One of the most important and high-quality Australian films of all time arrives in the form of a spellbinding, quietly seething political thriller about turning a blind eye to civil war and media violations. Director Robert Connolly's expert reportage of how six Australian newsmen were executed by Indonesian troops in 1975 combines the best of cinematic storytelling with fiery subject matter crying out to be heard. Blessed with uniformly stellar performances, a visual style expertly resurrecting a 1970s aesthetic, and a fierce sense of purpose, Balibo ranks alongside The Killing Fields and Salvador as a potrait of overlooked conflict, shot through the lens of endangered journalists..."

Luke Davies Cover Story - The Monthly, August 2009...
"...Robert Connolly’s Balibo focuses on the turmoil of these few weeks. The film’s humanising device is to concentrate on East’s initially blasé, then reluctant, and finally passionate journey to find out what happened to the missing newsmen. Shackleton and the other journalists tried to draw an uninterested world’s attention to a murderous invasion. In crafting a tight political thriller three decades later, Connolly takes up some of the slack...."
Full review here

Dramatic re-telling of an awful truth -The Blurb 29 July 2009
"...Balibo can’t fail to grab your attention with its tribute to those who risked their lives reporting the East Timor invasion, and the distressing truth of their massacre. It's an important Australian production which may provoke strong emotions..." - John Bale
Full review here

SBS - 29 July 2009
Balibo: Highly entertaining and immensely emotional, 5 stars - Fiona Williams
"...bold and defiant filmmaking that achieves in just 111 minutes what 34 years of politicking couldn’t: it exposes a shameful episode in Australia’s history during which principles gave way to pragmatism, and does so with confrontational, provocative, and above all, deeply affecting scenes that hold their own against some of the best moments of Australian cinema....."
Full review here

Variety - 24 July 2009
Balibo: Review - Richard Kuipers
"...a tense, character-driven thriller with political comment on the side....packing a huge emotional punch...."
Full review here

Screen International - 24 July 2009
Balibo: Review - Frank Hatherley
"...The murky story of the ‘Balibo Five’, denied and covered up for over 30 years, is grippingly recreated in Robert Connolly’s angrily authentic, fast-paced movie......"
Full review here

The Age - 25 July 2009
Balibo - A searing piece of political cinema, 5 stars - Jim Schembri
"...It is rare, indeed, for an Australian film to dare prick the national conscience. It is rarer still for one to do so with the power, conviction and immediacy of Balibo....."
Full review here

Ain't It Cool (aintitcool.com) - 22 July 2009
Balibo: Review
"...the film's importance to cinema is a significant one, its importance as a document of record is more significant. It brings to light a period of Australasian history that has been largely swept under the carpet, and the film is somehow objective and justifiably angry all at once. BALIBO is completely and unquestionably the unmissable film of the year...."
Full review here

Cinetology (crikey.com.au) - 21 July 2009
Balibo: A dynamite Aussie exposé - Luke Buckmaster
"...Balibo is knock out stuff: taut as all hell, a stick of dynamite lit and tossed into the audience’s faces..."
Full review here

Senses of Cinema - 8 July 2009
Free at Last: Robert Connolly's Balibo - Adrian Dank
"...one of the strongest and best Australian films of recent years..."
Full review here

Last Night with Riviera - 3 July 2009
Living Dangerously (Balibo) - Matt Riviera
"...a political thriller the likes of which hasn't been seen in this country in a very long time..."
Full review here

Rachael Turk - 19 June 2009
Balibo: Review - Rachael Turk
"...this film is one the world should see..."
Full review here