Fresh
Thomas and Jackie's friendship, blossoming into a chaste romance, is the dramatic engine that powers The Black Balloon, but it's far from the most important relationship in the film.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
The Black Balloon
Sometimes it's hard to be the odd one in.
2008 · 1h 37m · PG-13
Drama
Directed by
Elissa Down
Overview
Thomas is turning 16. His dad's in the army and they've just moved to a town in New South Wales; his mom is pregnant; his older brother, Charlie, who's autistic, has his own adolescent sexual issues. Thomas finds Charlie an embarrassment in public, so when Thomas is attracted to Jackie, a girl in his swim class, Charlie presents any number of obstacles when she drops by their house, when the three of them go for a walk, and during a family birthday dinner. Can Thomas find a way to enter the world of teen romance and still be his brother's keeper, or is Charlie's disability going to prove more than Thomas can handle?
Director and cast
- Elissa Down Director
- Toni Collette as Maggie Mollison
- Rhys Wakefield as Thomas Mollison
- Luke Ford as Charlie Mollison
- Gemma Ward as Jackie Masters
- Lisa Kowalski as Sally
- Sarah Woods as Woman Next Door
- Nathin Art Butler as Chris
- Sam Fraser as Kid Next Door
- Zelie Bullen as Mother in Van
- Anthony Phelan as Mr. Masters
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
85%
Tomatometer
Fresh
The film's vision is neither a grim wallow nor falsely cheerful. It's compassionate but unblinking, and in the end we can't help but admire the genuine strength of how its characters accept their special challenge.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh
At its sharpest Elissa Down's feature directorial debut is guided by intense, rough-edged emotional swings that feel authentically alive, even when the script settles for tidiness.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
Fresh
The Black Balloon establishes this family with a delicate mixture of tenderness and pain.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fresh
There are wrenching scenes that are brutally stark, yet there remains a steady sense of calm that is touching and sensitive without ever turning sentimental.
Ted Fry, Seattle Times
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