Flight of the Red Balloon (2007)
"Le voyage du ballon rouge" (original title)

A little boy and his baby-sitter inhabit the same imaginary world: through their adventures they are followed by a strange red balloon.

Director:

Hsiao-hsien Hou

Writers:

Hsiao-hsien Hou, François Margolin

Stars:

Juliette Binoche, Hippolyte Girardot, Simon Iteanu

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Juliette Binoche	...	Suzanne
Hippolyte Girardot	...	Marc
Simon Iteanu	...	Simon
Fang Song	...	Song
Louise Margolin	...	Louise
Anna Sigalevitch	...	Anna
Charles-Edouard Renault	...	Lorenzo
Damien Maestraggi

Storyline

In Paris, Chinese cinema student Song Fang is hired to work as the nanny of Simon by his divorced mother Suzanne, who works voicing marionettes in a theater. Suzanne is having troubles with her tenant Marc, who does not pay the rent, while she waits for the return of her older daughter Louise, who lives with her father in Brussels.

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Plot Keywords:

red balloon | tenant | balloon | puppet | little boy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Taiwan

Language:

French Mandarin

Release Date:

30 January 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

O Voo do Balão Vermelho

Box Office

Budget:

€3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$35,222 (USA) (4 April 2008)

Gross:

$459,364 (USA) (15 August 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

3H Productions, Margo Films, Les Films du Lendemain

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The director's first film to be shot outside of Asia.

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Connections

Remake of The Red Balloon (1956)

User Reviews

Flight of the Red Balloon

In CAFE LUMIERE, Hou paid tribute to Ozu. Here it's Lamorisse and his famous short film. I liked this more than any other Hou I've seen so far, which is odd because it seems to be considered one of his lesser films. Perhaps I only like Hou when he's not being so Hou. There was a lot to decode here, but I think one of the primary messages is the meeting of two cultures. The red balloon could be associated with the red prominent in Chinese culture, floating through and discovering Paris much in the same way as the director himself. The balloon seems to watch over and sympathize with the characters but doesn't ever connect. We have Juliette Binoche (in a very warm and relateable performance) practicing the art of Chinese puppet theater, and in her employ is Fang Song (another very likable performer), a Chinese nanny. These characters interact and even have moments of tenderness together, but they are detached, not quite involved in each other's lives. And then there are multitudes of instances being seen through windows, in reflections, through a camera, on a screen, via a child's toy. We are separated, but I see you and watch you with care. Outsiders looking in, doing what they can. I enjoyed my time with these characters and was engaged with their situations, understated though they might be. Lovely photography by one of my favorites, Mark Ping Bin Lee, and a gentle score. Makes me wonder what I've missed in Hou's other films.