The Black Balloon (2008)
January 9th 2009 09:52
Directed by:- Elissa Down.
Starring:- Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Toni Collette, Gemma Ward, Erik Thomson.
After a few moments of watching The Black Balloon, I felt washed over with a sense of familiarity. It was Australian suburbia. The sounds of cicadas in the summer, KT 26's, new poxy looking houses, fly screen doors, hard leaved bushland, and colloquial expressions such as 'fuck' and 'spastic' said like no other nation can (or should). Having grown up near where the movie was filmed (Holsworthy NSW), I felt like this was a fairly honest depiction of my reality. The film was about to become far more honest.
The Black Balloon portrays the life of Charlie Mollison, an 18 year old who suffers from autism. The story, however, really focuses on Charlie's 15 year old brother Thomas and his struggle to deal with his brother's condition. Thomas's feelings towards Charlie range from denial, to hatred, to eventual reluctant acceptance. The film follows his journey, which is displayed in a confrontingly honest fashion through his family life, his relationship with Jackie (Gemma Ward), and his school experiences.
Admittedly I am a little partial to Australian films, but I give this one points for its honest approach in tackling a difficult subject. There are some truly uncomfortable scenes in the film that are not so uplifting, although it doesn't once feel like the film is trying to force any sort of awkwardness onto the audience, rather it feels like it is simply tackling a difficult subject and telling it like it is.
Luke Ford, who plays Charlie, does a brilliant job, making me believe that he was truly autistic. Rhys Wakefield also puts on a great performance, acting through some really emotional and confronting scenes well. Even Gemma Ward does a credible job. Toni Collete, while I respect her as an actress, was a little wooden in some scenes, and not so in others. At times I found the script a little dodgy in parts, particularly in Thomas's relationship with Jackie.
I felt quite emotional when Thomas was found by his mum sitting next to the toilet, and I felt awkward in the supermarket scene. Other scenes, such as Charlie's toilet adventures and Thomas's birthday party were not far behind. This in mind, there are also some funny moments in the Black Balloon, starting with Charlie skiing around the kitchen floor on raw eggs, just one of his several urban rampages.
Whilst sometimes onerous, these scenes made me think. I found myself pondering the effort of family life with an autistic child, and how lucky I am to have what I do. I also appreciated what the story was trying to convey, which is that autism and dysfunction figure awkwardly in society, being something very uncomfortable for many people. This feeling to me was very apparent through the eyes of Thomas.
The Black Balloon is not without its flaws. However, while the film sits at times uncomfortably, it is an honest and meaningful portrayal.
Four organic bananas out of five.
Starring:- Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Toni Collette, Gemma Ward, Erik Thomson.
After a few moments of watching The Black Balloon, I felt washed over with a sense of familiarity. It was Australian suburbia. The sounds of cicadas in the summer, KT 26's, new poxy looking houses, fly screen doors, hard leaved bushland, and colloquial expressions such as 'fuck' and 'spastic' said like no other nation can (or should). Having grown up near where the movie was filmed (Holsworthy NSW), I felt like this was a fairly honest depiction of my reality. The film was about to become far more honest.
The Black Balloon portrays the life of Charlie Mollison, an 18 year old who suffers from autism. The story, however, really focuses on Charlie's 15 year old brother Thomas and his struggle to deal with his brother's condition. Thomas's feelings towards Charlie range from denial, to hatred, to eventual reluctant acceptance. The film follows his journey, which is displayed in a confrontingly honest fashion through his family life, his relationship with Jackie (Gemma Ward), and his school experiences.
Admittedly I am a little partial to Australian films, but I give this one points for its honest approach in tackling a difficult subject. There are some truly uncomfortable scenes in the film that are not so uplifting, although it doesn't once feel like the film is trying to force any sort of awkwardness onto the audience, rather it feels like it is simply tackling a difficult subject and telling it like it is.
Luke Ford, who plays Charlie, does a brilliant job, making me believe that he was truly autistic. Rhys Wakefield also puts on a great performance, acting through some really emotional and confronting scenes well. Even Gemma Ward does a credible job. Toni Collete, while I respect her as an actress, was a little wooden in some scenes, and not so in others. At times I found the script a little dodgy in parts, particularly in Thomas's relationship with Jackie.
I felt quite emotional when Thomas was found by his mum sitting next to the toilet, and I felt awkward in the supermarket scene. Other scenes, such as Charlie's toilet adventures and Thomas's birthday party were not far behind. This in mind, there are also some funny moments in the Black Balloon, starting with Charlie skiing around the kitchen floor on raw eggs, just one of his several urban rampages.
Whilst sometimes onerous, these scenes made me think. I found myself pondering the effort of family life with an autistic child, and how lucky I am to have what I do. I also appreciated what the story was trying to convey, which is that autism and dysfunction figure awkwardly in society, being something very uncomfortable for many people. This feeling to me was very apparent through the eyes of Thomas.
The Black Balloon is not without its flaws. However, while the film sits at times uncomfortably, it is an honest and meaningful portrayal.
Four organic bananas out of five.
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Comment by Michelle Sweeney
Competition Queen
Comment by Jack Crumpet
Bagman's Gazette
Cinema Banana
Comment by cinemabanana
I'm the real cinemabanana, who are you?
Honestly, I turn my back for 5 minutes.
Nice piece on Black Balloon though.
Comment by Quin Goot
Bagman's Gazette
Cinema Banana
Yes, well apparently they recycle 'defunct' blogs around here, as I was more or less forced to choose one. I also found the other blog names a little boring.
Also apparent, is that in Orble land, if you post nada for 60 days or more, then you blog is now 'defunct'. So you haven't posted in a while and now here I am. Maybe a chat to Mr Orble might be good.
Anyway, your posts were good, why don't you come back?
Comment by cinemabanana
You're right, it is a good name. I'm glad you're here. I'm propably not commited enough to keep a blog going consistently.
Would love to contribute a piece fromm time to time if thats cool.
Nice to meet you.
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