The film Punitive Damage directed by Annie Goldson is a powerful narrative that tells the story of a courageous young man, a mother's quest for truth and justice and the tragedy of the situation in East Timor. The beginning of this documentary contains many important features that help to introduce the ideas, storylines and atmosphere. Some of these features are the soundtrack, visual techniques, camera angles and characters. Assisted by executive producer Gaylene Preston, cinematographer …showed first 75 words of 846 total…

…showed last 75 words of 846 total…heart-wrenching experience for her. This photograph is zoomed in on later again reinforcing her anguish at what has happened. Goldson has managed to tell a personal story of family, loss, courage ad personal comittement while at the same time raising awareness of the consequences of the Indonesian occupation. Together, these features create a powerful beginning to the documentary and the many interweaving storylines maintain audience interest for the remainder of the compelling film, Punitive Damage.