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64% Critic Match
The Black Balloon
“Normal is relative.”
6.4 / 10• 2008• 1h 37m•PG-13• English
Drama
Storyline
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?
Cast & Crew
Rhys Wakefield
Thomas Mollison
Lead
Luke Ford
Charlie Mollison
Toni Collette
Maggie Mollison
Erik Thomson
Simon Mollison
Gemma Ward
Jackie Masters
SW
Sarah Woods
Woman Next Door
Sam Fraser
Kid Next Door
ZB
Zelie Bullen
Mother in Van
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Elissa Down's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. The Black Balloon is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
