Flight of the Red Balloon

Flight of the Red Balloon is Hou Hsiao-hsien’s homage to Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 classic Le Ballon rouge.

The film opens with the little curlyhead Simon, the red balloon that seems to follow in his footsteps through the streets of the hectic big city of Paris. Simon is on his way home to his mother (Binoche), who writes plays for a puppet theatre. Through a series of little hints we gradually come to sense the contours of a mother and a family with a broken back.

The film explores the feeling of being small, and at times lonely, in a busy big city. With Mark Lee Ping-bing behind the camera, this special mood is captured in masterful fashion. ls