Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON MOVIE REVIEW
(Le Voyage du ballon rouge)
Directed by: Hou Hsiao Hsien
Running time: 113 minutes
Release date: April 2, 2008 (Limited - French with English subtitles)
Genre: Art/Foreign, Drama, Adventure, Fantasy and Kids/Family
Distributor: IFC First Take
MPAA Rating: NR
It is wonderful to see a film use a combination of surrealism and exploration of poignant family issues to explore the problems surrounding coming of age. In this movie, filmmaker Hou Hsiao Hsien takes his well known style of poise and definitive delivery to another level. He uses a full script, but without the dialogue. Each scene is discussed in detail with actors, who invent their own dialogue to fit the situation in this film in French.
The plot is an imaginable story set in 1956 Paris, intricately woven around three characters. Suzanne (Juliette Binoche of Chocolat and The English Patient) is an affectionate single mother, teacher and puppeteer. She is burdened with problems and obligations raising her two children Simon (Simon Iteanu) and Louise (Louise Margolin). Louise is preparing for University and Simon who is 7 years old needs a sitter. Suzanne owns the building they live in, but their apartment is a clutter of music sheets and books. To alleviate a confusing situation, Suzanne hires a young Taiwanese film student as a baby-sitter, Song Fang (Fang Song). A bonding between Song and Simon developed and they share an imaginary world as they travel to and from his school. This is seen through the scope of an unreal eye of a red balloon that follows them throughout Paris's commonplace civilization. It is a visual tour of the cafes, the little shops, metros, school buses and rooftops showing the city's ambiance and social system of that time period.
As the latter plot evolves, Suzanne's life is another tale as she is pressured in getting her stories and music for her puppet shows ready for performances in the local theaters. More rhetoric is added to her life when she gets caught up in a court case involving one of her tenants in the building who is in arrears on rent payments. Basically, Song Fang's help is the key element that gives Suzanne a handle on getting her life back in order.
The focus on the various constraints of Simon's home is a release when the balloon appears on the screen. Simon living quarters are restricted due to the clutter around the house, but the flight of this balloon gives a sense of freedom. I found this to be a metaphor in the social restrictions of the 1950s postwar Paris.
What sets this film apart from most films is the way it was directed. Juliette Binoche had to adapt to working in this manner of discussing the dialogue in each scene. In an interview with director Hou Hsiao Hsien (interviewed by Tony Roberts at Spot Cinema in Taipei, 2007) we find out that Binoche presumably was used to having a standard script to work from. At first she wasn't ready and couldn't come up with any dialogue. Simon Iteanu, a child actor, was a problem also because it was difficult to capture his feelings completely, which led to additional work in editing and post-production. Once every actor found their character within, everything became a work of art. Binoche created the look and mannerisms of her character and she really shined on screen. The end result was brilliant, because Juliette Binoche, Simon Iteanu and Fang Song each gave superb performances in a difficult film to make.
Not everyone will enjoy this film. I witnessed children watching this film at a screening. Many children were enthusiastic and were even talking to the balloon on the screen, while some adults seemed bored. I found this film fascinating and a marvel to watch.
FILM RATING (B)
To view the film's trailer, click here |
