Reviewed by Janina Conboye
Stars Juliette Binoche, Simon Iteanu, Fang Song,
Hippolyte Girardot, Louise Margolin, Anna Sigalevitch
Produced by Kristina Larsen & François Margolin
Written by Hsiao-hsien Hou & François Margolin
Certification UK PG | Australia PG
Runtime 113 minutes
Directed by Hsiao-hsien Hou
Paris is warm and hazy and Simon would like to know if the red balloon floating above would like to go on the Metro with him. When the mysterious balloon does not reply, little Simon goes on his merry way — perhaps a little disappointed that his air-filled friend declined his offer.
This film is raw in that it appears very real. It feels like the camera is simply following an actual Parisian family. The style is very typical of director Hsian-hsien Hou, who is known for his unassuming, slow languid pace and a lot of quiet sequences. He pays meticulous attention to detail and turns things on their heads by using things we might consider mundane as a way of getting to know the characters more intimately.
The film starts with Song (Fang), a film student from Beijing, taking up a post as the nanny of a little boy, Simon (Iteanu), whose divorced mother Suzanne (Binoche) is a busy actress involved in puppeteering. Revolving around the three main characters, the film depicts various things at that time in their lives: Song and Simon getting to know each other, Suzanne's current assignment in a puppetry theatre, an irresponsible tenant, Song's project of filming a "red balloon" sequence with Simon as the subject and Simon's longing for his elder sister, who lives in Brussels with her grandfather.
I wouldn’t say the film in its entirety captivated me, but the character of Simon fascinated me from the start. He is self-aware, independent, yet so unassuming, innocent and very sweet. Binoche is Binoche — is there anything the woman can’t do? She immerses herself in her role and even dyes her hair blonde, adding to the image of a hard-working single mother. A favourite moment is when Binoche is on the phone to her partner, who is supposedly writing a book in Canada. Frustrated by events in her life and by her seemingly useless partner, who is so far away and unsupportive, she says she needs a man about the place. Little Simon retorts: “I am a man!”
Flight of the Red Balloon is Hou's second foreign language (ie non-Chinese) film. It is not a remake of The Red Balloon from 1956, but as Hou borrows from the film’s obvious motif, he is almost paying a kind of tribute to it. If you like the way in which this director works, then you’re likely to really enjoy the film, but if you’re looking for something more fast-paced and with more action or even extreme emotion, then perhaps you should opt for something different. This film is all about the subtleties of life as well as the emotional rollercoasters.