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The wandering balloon represents all sorts of imagery

The story's most obvious theme is the elusiveness of the joys and wonders we associate with childhood. Suzanne and Simon are both saddened by a longing for younger, more innocent days. They miss Simon's father and sister—he's away in Montreal, she's with her grandfather. In a heartbreaking moment, Suzanne pleads with her daughter to return home. She reveres home movies of her children, and the most precious gift she can give is an old postcard from her scrapbook.

In a beautiful scene, Simon wanders into a video arcade. Song stays outside, filming his progress through the window. Hou's camera turns to zoom in on Simon, wide-eyed at a pinball machine. (How odd that he's drawn to pinball—a small sphere, making progress through a series of hard-hitting obstacles.) We watch Simon through the glass, and notice that Song has gone inside to join him, her camera still running. It's like Hou is suggesting that, through the gift of pictures, postcards, and film, we can transcend the clamor of our lives and recapture some of our childlike wonder again. Song bridges the gap, quietly savoring the world around her. Camera in hand, she manages to maintain a sense of childlike wonder.

Following Song, Suzanne, and Simon, Hou invites viewers along for a dreamy stroll through a day in their lives with a "you are there" immediacy. Hou allowed his actors to improvise, without rehearsals, and as a result the film has a delightful spontaneity. Binoche even wore clothes from her own closet. (And it must be said—she has a very nice closet.)

Nevertheless, Flight has already inspired some impatient critics to complain that "nothing happens" in this film. To borrow a line from James Cameron's The Abyss — they "need to look with better eyes than that."

Flight is not plot-driven. It is not about drawing us to the edge of our seat or teasing us with what happens next. It's meant to be observed the way you might study art in a museum, or the way you might wander down a street in one of the world's great cities just to watch people and light.

Director Hou Hsiao Hsien on the set with Song Fang and Binoche

Sound boring? Give it a try. Find out why Hou is one of the world's most celebrated filmmakers, and what Americans have been missing. The fact that his films aren't "marketable" in the U.S. reflects poorly on us, not Hou.

Flight will probably stand as his most playful work. The red balloon is an evocative icon that appeals to all ages. It's the suggestion that the simple joy of childhood can be lost so easily. It's also the gravity of that idea—that there's a lonely but buoyant spirit wandering above us, watching over us, waiting for us to reach up. The balloon's as mysterious and benevolent a character as Winnie the Pooh or Hayao Miyazake's Totoro. After we watch it a while, we start to notice bright red spheres and circles everywhere—in decals on bus windows, bright red stop lights, traffic signs, the taillights of a car in a tunnel.

In one scene, the balloon descends the side of a building and passes a painting of a red balloon, and suddenly it brushes against the painting as if kissing a stranger in the Parisian way, or finding a kindred spirit. It's an enthralling moment.

Hou's film is the first in a program financed by the Musée d'Orsay. The film features a scene inside the museum where children consider a painting of, yes, a red balloon. Hou's film has set the standard for the series. We can only hope the rest of the participating filmmakers dare to reach so high.

(Read an expanded version of this review at Looking Closer.)

Talk About It

1. Who in the movie is a good role model for Simon? Do you see any poor role models?
2. What does the balloon represent? Does it represent just one thing?
3. Discuss the images in this film you found most interesting. What made them interesting? What did they make you think about?
4. Discuss the painting that the children study. How does Simon respond to the painting? What is interesting about his response? Why do you suppose Hou saved this scene for the end of the film?

The Family Corner

Flight of the Red Balloon is unrated. The film focuses on a disintegrating family; the father is never seen, and the daughter lives elsewhere, which may raise questions for young people. Juliette Binoche's outfits might be a little revealing for some, but they're not sleazy. The film is in French, with subtitles.

Photos © Copyright IFC First Take

© Jeffrey Overstreet subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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