The Black Balloon

A tender, awkward coming-of-age story that balances embarrassment and affection with raw family frustration.

Directed by

Elissa Down

Genres

Drama

Starring

Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Toni Collette

Tagline

Normal is relative.

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?

How it feels

Earnest, warm, melancholic and tense. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Family, coming-of-age, identity, isolation

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)