Jan 17 2009
The Black Balloon
The Black Balloon is an Australian film about the impact of Autism on a family, mainly on the sibling. Though this movie will only be shown at select theaters in the United States, it has gotten wonderful reviews in Australia. At the February 2008 International Film Festival in Germany it received the Crystal Bear, and since then has received numerous awards and nominations world-wide.The cast does a wonderful job of playing roles that are often difficult for an actor to relate to. Toni Collette and Erik Thompson play parents of two sons, the older with severe Autism. Rhys Wakefield plays the younger brother, and the movie circles around pent-up frustration that comes to be revealed as he becomes responsible for his older brother, played by Luke Ford.
Luke Ford is probably better known in the United States for his role in the third Mummy movie (The Dragon Emperor), playing Alex, the son of the O’Connors. Playing the role of a mentally challenged person is often difficult to make convincing to an audience, however it is in my opinion that his portrayal of this character was flawless. Throughout the movie I often forgot that it was an actor, and honestly believed the character, Charlie, was indeed Autistic.
Though this movie is currently showing at select theaters in the United States, it is likely that most Americans will never hear about this film. It is my personal opinion that The Black Balloon should be receiving a larger welcome here, because Autism is on such a drastic rise, but the stereotypes of Autistic people are not improving as quickly.
I was lucky to find this movie online to watch, and it completely tore me apart. Nothing is sugar-coated, and this movie exposes the daily life consisting of an emotional roller coaster for how it truly is for the family of an Autistic child. I especially like how this movie could have taken place anywhere, even just down the street from each of us. Though it was filmed in Australia, nothing in it requires only Australia to make the story to function. Though for people like me, the accent makes it more appealing. I find the Australian accent to be a pleasant treat for the ears.
The movie starts out with the moving of the Mollison Family. Immediately you see the judgments of others around them, and the difficulty of the family being accepted because of their son Charlie. The mother, Maggie, is in her final trimester of pregnancy and is ordered to bed rest, leaving Thomas to look after his brother. Frustration built and bottled inside Thomas begins to erupt.
Thomas is coming of age, and having an Autistic brother he is responsible for affects every part of his life, including a relationship with a girl at his new school. He finds himself the butt of jokes about his brother, and in the position not only to defend his brother but himself as well.
The movie does not have the typical happy ending; it however ends on a note of more acceptances rather than a conclusion to the conflict. Though it leaves you with turmoil of emotions, I think an ending like this crucial because as families of a person with low-functioning Autism, there are no happy endings, only acceptance.
When I was done watching this movie, all I could think about at first was getting a hug from my four year old son. At first he did not want to hug me, and that seemed to break my heart. Immediately I began crying, not just a tear rolling down my cheek, but halfway between a bawl and a wail. Michael threw his arms around me and held me tight.
I spent about five minutes pacing the length of my apartment trying to regain composure. My son is higher-functioning than the character Charlie, but it makes me think about what life could have been for me, and how it is for many other families out there.
I agree about seeing it for the first time alone in the privacy of your own home. I did not bawl through out the movie, but I was watching it on my computer with distractions. I imagine if I had been in a darkened hushed room the emotion of this film would have hit me on a level impossible to contain my tears.
The language is a little strong, and they do address some very personal and lesser discussed issues, such as the son playing in his own feces almost as if a toddler does, and his masturbating in front of the girl. A young teenager would probably not understand the significance of those issues.