2008 · drama · coming-of-age
The Black Balloon
Directed by Elissa Down1h 37m2008
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?
Our read: The Black Balloon (2008) reads as a neutral, measured, grounded drama · coming-of-age entry — gentle in intensity, intimate in scope, tender in temperature, redemptive in outlook.
Neutral, measured, gentle drama / coming-of-age, grounded in texture. Redemptive, intimate, tender.
- measured
- gentle
- tender
- intimate
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How The Black Balloon feels to watch.
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“You want an honest teen story about loving a brother who embarrasses you.”
Skip it tonight — Skip if autistic sexuality and public meltdown scenes will feel too raw.
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