Posted: 02/20/2009

The Black Balloon

(2008)

by Isaac Sweeney

After watching The Black Balloon, I described the plot to my wife.

“It’s a coming-of-age movie about a boy who has an autistic brother, and he moves to a new town with his family,” I said. Then I joked, “It’s a foreign-language film — Australian.”

She laughed as much as she could — let’s face it; it wasn’t that funny. Then she said, “It sounds like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

She was right. The plot does sound a lot like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. If I simply summarized the plot here, I’m afraid readers would have the same reaction. Which is why I started with my story. I don’t want readers to think The Black Balloon is like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. The Black Balloon is rawer, more real, and maybe a little more special.

The story follows Thomas Mollison (Rhys Wakefield). He wishes his autistic brother, Charlie (Luke Ford), was normal. He is embarrassed by Charlie, and he is a little attention-starved because his parents (Erik Thomson and Toni Collette) give most of their attention to Charlie. Of course, he meets a girl, Jackie (Gemma Ward). He likes Jackie from the start, but he really likes her when she doesn’t freak out because of Charlie.

Still, Thomas is embarrassed and angry for most of the movie. Thomas’ anger eventually erupts. Punches are thrown. There is blood, and a trip to the hospital.

The movie succeeds in its unusual family portrayal. The Morrison family members obviously love one another, but they do have to deal with some uncomfortable situations, like when Charlie touches himself in the presense of a young lady, and when he has tantrums. While some of the plot may be a bit predictable, the movie stands on its own because the people seem real. Fifteen-year-olds really kiss like that, and can be that cruel. Pregnant women really shouldn’t be on their feet so much (Toni Collette’s character is pregnant for most of the movie). Autism is sad, unfair, and still can be kind of beautiful.

In a controversial scene from Tropic Thunder, Robert Downey Jr.’s character says an actor should “never go full retard.” Well, he’s wrong. Luke Ford goes all the way, never having one of those uncharacteristic (and unlikely) moments of clarity and understanding seen in most movies featuring a mentally challenged character. But it works for him. He is what he is. How the other characters deal with him is where the real heart of this tale is.

And that makes the movie kind of special.

Isaac Sweeney is a writer and educator in Virginia. Read his blog at http://www.wayswithwordsonline.com.

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