Candid portrait of an exiled politician

Zubrycki was obviously given considerable access to his subject, and the result is an impressive, fly-on- the-wall documentary.

When documentary filmmaker Tom Zubricki began his film portrait of East Timorese leader Jose Ramos Horta he couldn`t have known how the story would end - with the vote for independence, the savage slaughter that followed it and, finally, Ramos Horta`s return to a free East Timor. These events energise the candid portrait of of a man who lived for 24 years in exile, representing his occupied country on the world stage - candid because Ramos Horta freely admits his faults and shortcomings. But he comes across as a dedicated fighter for his cause, a man of wit, charisma and urbanity. His mother, who lives in Sydney and who follows the fortunes of her son and her country from afar, is the other star of the film - a formidably impressive woman. Zubrycki was obviously given considerable access to his subject, and the result is an impressive, fly-on- the-wall documentary.