The Flight of the Red Balloon (Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge)
The Flight of the Red Balloon is Taiwanese director Hsiao-hsien Hou’s homage to Albert Lamorisse’s charming 1956 short film: Le Ballon Rouge.
Suzanne (Binoche) is living with her son in a Parisian apartment. The apartment is cluttered and cramped, reflecting the chaos that is encroaching on Suzanne’s life; she tries to juggle her career as a puppeteer with her role as a mother to her son, Simón, while being a landlord to friends of her estranged husband, who have overstayed their welcome.
Suzanne is a Bohemian at heart, and it’s likely that despite the obvious love she has for her son, she would rather immerse herself in art. She is in a constantly frazzled state, the flurry settling only when she sits down to do the voiceovers for puppet shows. Even then, Suzanne conveys an inextinguishable intensity.
Suzanne hires a Nanny: Chinese student Song (Fang Song). Song and Simón are gentle, like-minded souls in a chaotic world, who both take pleasure in the stillness in each moment and the wonders every little experience can bring. Song, an aspiring filmmaker, carries a camera around with her, to capture such moments on film; Simón remains blissfully unperturbed by the pressing concerns that preoccupy his mother. Together, Simón and Song drift from one enjoyable activity to the next.
Red, a lucky colour for the Chinese, is a recurring feature in the film, with splashes of it scattered lovingly throughout the film. The balloon itself – the symbol of childhood and innocence, is beautiful as it drifts in and out of shot here and there, glistening surreally and even appearing in the reflections of glass.
Juliette Binoche confirms her position as one of the world’s best actors, being able to endow her character with mannerisms and a demeanour that is different from any other character she has played.
This is not a film with a traditional story arc, and as such, may frustrate some viewers. But for this viewer, Hsiao-hsien Hou’s cinematic ode to Lamorisse’s film, with its realistic portrayal of quotidien life in Paris, is sheer poetry on screen.
Madman's DVD release includes wonderful extra featurettes: Albert Lamorisse's The Red Balloon as well as another short by Lamorisse: White Mane: The Wild Horse, both of which screened at the 2008 Alliance Française French Film Festival.