Review of Flight of the Red Balloon (2007) by Peter W — 20 Oct 2007
The film works well as a portrait of a single parent struggling to deal with a problem tenant and keep her family together. Although Suzanne (Binoche) is depicted in a sympathetic light, she is a three-dimensional character and her troubles are not trivialised, nor are they resolved (at all) by the end of the film.
What gives the film an extra dimension are the various poetic elements which accompany the telling of the tale: - the mythological stories of Chinese folklore which Suzanne reads out in her work in the puppet theatre; - the well-chosen words of affection between mother and son; - and of course the mysterious red balloon: does it exist only in Simon's imagination? can Song see it too, or does it only exist for her in terms of the film she is making? what does it signify?
This review of Flight of the Red Balloon (2007) was written by Peter W on 20 Oct 2007.
Flight of the Red Balloon has generally received positive reviews.
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