Review of Flight of the Red Balloon (2007) by Zoran S — 16 Jul 2010

Flight of the Red Balloon is a very beautiful art house film about some struggles a single mother, Suzanne (Binoche), is having in her life. The film is shown more through the eyes of the new nanny, Song, who is a film student at the University and from China and also the memories of the mother's young boy, Simon. The film has a strong postmodern flair to it favoring very common imagery and techniques contrasted with the abstract presence of a sentient red balloon that follows the boy.

The cinematography is beautiful and the acting is excellent. There really isn't a plot to speak of and so the film is more about developing characters. The connection between the action on screen and the Red Balloon is not as prevalent as one might expect. There seems to be a large portion of the middle chunk of the film where the balloon is rarely noticed which makes it feel more like watching an honest reality tv show than a movie with something to say. The film's major flaw is a lack of editing.

Many will not enjoy the film and think it slow, dull and pointless if they are not accustomed to wondering about what they are seeing. I think much of the film is well summarized in the final scene with the teacher showing the children a Felix Vallotton's 1899 painting "Le Balloon". Many of the things the teacher draws attention to in the painting correspond to the ways in which have been shown and thus have seen this film. The red balloon is a metaphor for childhood and the elegant simplicity of such a life despite being surrounded by complexity. The balloon is constrained by certain complexities but still manages to find freedom with the harsh city. Contrasting the life of the balloon is the puppets that are common in Suzanne's career. The puppets move so freely and with such expression that it can be easy to forget that they are tightly controlled.