Long time since I've been here and I apologise. Never mind, I'm back for a very good reason, The Black Balloon. I went in expecting a nice little Aussie film, for aside from Wolf Creek and Rogue, I think most Aussie films have been 'nice' of late, which is to say pleasant, a bit ho-hum and nothing to write home about. The Black Balloon is different and here's why...
First of all, the casting is superb. I can even forgive (catwalk model) Gemma Ward's alien looks for what is a pretty good acting debut (barring a previous performance in another of director Elissa Downs' films way back in 2001).
The film follows teenaged Thomas to an anonymous suburb where he lives with his army father, pregnant mother and older brother Charlie, who is autistic. Moving around would be difficult enough without throwing Charlie's autistic behaviour into the mix and it is Charlie's unpredictability that gives the film its necessary tension.
Toni Collette is destined to play the mother of an unconventional family. She did it as ghost-visionist Haley-Joel Osment's mother in The Sixth Sense, and had a wonderful turn as matriarch in Little Miss Sunshine. As Maggie Mollison, she balances standard 'no-nonsense' authority with a clearly loving and almost endlessly patient maternity. Her dynamic with Charlie seems especially real.
Her husband looks like an army man but has his quirks too, for example, he takes orders from his teddy bear Rex. He's tough but soft inside, which makes the family dynamic heartbreaking at times.
Thomas (Rhys Wakefield) is sick of having an autistic brother (Luke Ford) he has to hide or defend, but he finds an unlikely ally in Jackie (Gemma Ward). While Gemma does well in the role (considering she's a renowned model, she pulls off teen gawkishness pretty well), the role itself is a bit of a let down as Jackie seems too good to be true — too understanding, too deep, too tolerant, and too quick to attach herself to Thomas despite the incidents that threaten to snuff their nascent relationship.
However, suspend your disbelief at Jackie's character and the rest works smoothly, with moments of beauty (the storm where Thomas, Jackie and Charlie need to take shelter at the army training ground) and bouts of ugliness (the climactic violence between Charlie and Thomas).
Other than the well-chosen cast, three other things stand out. The first is the very real portrayal of the average Australian suburb in the early 1990s. The attitude of the neighbours, the schoolyard tussles, even the PE lessons in the pool are uncomfortably familiar.
The second is the truth in Thomas' journey of understanding about his brother's autism. It takes Jackie's tolerance for him to grasp that Charlie won't change and become normal, so it's up to him to make his peace with the fact. The journey is not easy, in fact it's fraught with layers of hard lessons, but his inklings of acceptance close the film nicely.
Finally, the balance of humour and discomfort is the right one. There is much that an Australian can identify with and laugh at (while inwardly squirming) and Downs has interplayed these moments with Charlie's misbehaviour and the havoc it wreaks.
All in all, an entertaining film that hits all the right emotions. And better yet, nothing to be embarrassed about when talking about homegrown talent.
Film rating: 8/10
Enjoyment rating: 9/10
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