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The Black Balloon is a film of genre Drama directed by Elissa Down released in USA on 5 december 2008 with Rhys Wakefield
The Black Balloon (2008)
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Add to a movie listReleased in USA 5 december 2008
Length 1h37
Directed by Elissa Down
Themes Medical-themed films, Seafaring films, Transport films, Films about psychiatry, Films about disabilities, Films about autism
Rating71%
The Black Balloon is a 2008 Australian/British comedy-drama film starring Toni Collette, Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Erik Thomson, Gemma Ward as well as a cast of newcomers. It is directed by first-time feature film director, Elissa Down.
The film was released in Australian cinemas on 6 March 2008. The world premiere was at the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany in February 2008, where the film received a Crystal Bear as the best feature-length film in the Generation 14plus category.
Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Thomas Mollison (Rhys Wakefield) and his family move to a new home in the early 1990s. It begins with Charlie, his autistic brother banging a wooden spoon on the grass with neighbors staring and pointing, then it cuts to the house where there are locks on the drawers and Maggie, their mother, locking star shaped stickers in her bathroom cabinet. Thomas is anxious because he has to start at a new school, and make new friends - all he wants is to do is fit in and be regarded in the same way as everyone else. However, it seems he struggles to achieve this goal. Although his family appears to be a fairly happy one, Thomas often feels isolated; it seems as if his mother only dotes upon his brother, Charlie (Luke Ford), and does not pay any attention to him. Thomas, however, is devoted to his brother and shows affection for him. Charlie is Thomas's older brother who lives with autism, as well as Attention Deficit Disorder. Charlie enjoys dressing up like a monkey, playing computer games using a Commodore 64 and receiving gold stars for good behaviour. Charlie communicates with the rest of his family by using Sign Language.Actors
Rhys Wakefield
(Thomas Mollison)
Luke Ford
(Charlie Mollison)
Toni Collette
(Maggie Mollison)
Erik Thomson
(Simon Mollison)
Gemma Ward
(Jackie Masters)
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