Australian
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Anthem: An Act of Sedition (2004)

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clip The trauma of Bali education content clip 1, 2

Original classification rating: M. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

A split-screen shows images of the Bali bombings memorial service in Canberra in October 2002 and Brian Deegan, who lost his son Josh in the bombings. As the images of the memorial service unfold on the left of screen, Deegan talks to camera about his anger that his son’s death may be used to justify the incursion into Iraq. He makes observations about fear within the population, the limits on freedom, and the anti-terror legislation. The ‘Lacrimosa’ from Mozart’s Requiem is used throughout the scene.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

A moving scene in which Mozart’s Requiem underscores Brian Deegan’s conflicting feelings about the horrors of the Bali bombings and government policies in relation to Iraq and the ‘war on terror’. He is clearly grieving for his son Josh, but his answers are not found in Iraq. Earlier in the film, Cambis and Newman interview Rita Lasar, whose brother died on September 11 (see clip one) who shares a similar anger at the response of her government. The filmmakers attempt to convey a message of peace throughout the film through interviews with people who have suffered great losses, yet refuse to take revenge.

Teacher’s notes

provided by The Le@rning FederationEducation Services Australia

This clip shows scenes of a memorial service for victims of the Bali bombings, held in October 2002 in Canberra. The then prime minister, John Howard, opposition leader Simon Crean and General Peter Cosgrove all appear. Brian Deegan, whose son Josh was killed in the bombings, argues against the Howard government’s response while a split screen juxtaposes this footage with shots of Howard at the service and after it. A narrator provides linking commentary. A performance of Mozart’s Requiem is heard throughout and sometimes shown on a split screen.

Educational value points

  • This clip from a polemical documentary represents John Howard (1939–) as a cynical politician who used the Bali bombings for his own political advantage. This point is underscored by the comments of Brian Deegan, who is presented as being calmly reflective. In contrast, the clip does not air Howard’s views, and the camera’s movement and positioning create the impression that he is uneasy during the service and after it, when he quizzes one of the filmmakers.
  • The filmmakers use the interrelation of sound and images to suggest that Howard was using the public’s desire to revenge the Bali bombings to gain support for an unrelated war in Iraq. Images of Howard are juxtaposed with the voice-over ‘talk of revenge’, then with the minister’s words ‘revenge is not an option’ and Deegan’s repudiation of Howard’s right to link the bombings with war on Iraq. The music underscores this suggestion with a mood of sadness.
  • The fact that Deegan lost his son in the Bali bombings gives powerful weight to his view that the tragedy was being misused by politicians. The voice-over tells us of his personal loss as a photograph of Josh is shown. As a man who has most right to claim revenge, his repudiation of it encourages viewers to see politicians’ desire for revenge as merely cynical. The views of other relatives some of whom strongly supported Howard’s response are not presented in this clip.
  • The music used in the clip is particularly dramatic, creating a mood of sadness but also suggesting a political commentary of its own. From the Lacrimosa section of Mozart’s Requiem, the music represents the weeping of Mary over Christ’s death. Although this performance commemorated the victims of the Bali bombings, its use here in a clip accusing John Howard of deliberately misusing that tragedy implies that his actions were a further cause for weeping.
  • While memorial services such as the one shown here were attended by relatives of victims, as well as by members of the Hindu and Islamic communities representing the two main religions of Bali, the clip does not focus on them. The main focus is kept on Howard, with brief views of some other dignitaries. This was one of a number of services held in Canberra in the weeks after three terrorist bombs in Bali killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, on 12 October 2002.