Poster art for "Flight of the Red Balloon."

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Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 86 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
12 OK for kids 12+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Washington Post |

    Because it's one of the most beautiful films ever. Because it's a work of art on the order of a poem by Yeats or a painting by Rothko. Read full review

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Juliette Binoche is outstanding as a wildly untogether single mother who parks her son with a French-speaking Chinese nanny while she whirls and worries. Read full review

  • 90
    Salon.com | Andrew O'Hehir

    It's both happy and sad. That's exactly the way to describe Hou's marvelous film as well. Read full review

  • 90
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    What Mr. Hou has done is borrow power and some gentle intimations of a state of grace from one of the most enchanting images in movie history. Read full review

  • 90
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    In the end what elevates Mr. Hou's films to the sublime -- and this one comes close at times -- are not the stories but their telling. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    The camera is so unobtrusive and the acting so naturalistic that it takes a while for a narrative to emerge. When it finally does, you're surprised to find you're deeply invested in the characters. Read full review

  • 88
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    A meditation on art, life, loneliness and the links between friends and strangers, the movie has a grace and humor that's wonderfully inviting. Read full review

  • 88
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    Hou intends to celebrate the classic 1956 children's film "The Red Balloon," and he has done a beautiful job. In fact, he may well have created a future classic of his own. Read full review

  • 88
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    The subject is the privileged state of childhood itself - how we're all lucky to have had it and how it so easily floats away from our grasp. Read full review

  • 80
    Variety | Justin Chang

    This eloquent study of loneliness and postmodern drift likely will be received with more admiration than rapture by the helmer's followers. But Juliette Binoche's turn as a harried single mom and pic's enlivening portrait of domestic rupture make this a highly accessible Hou. Read full review

View more reviews for Flight of the Red Balloon on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 12+ Beautifully shot art-house drama won't interest young kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this French-language film will not appeal to kids who aren't ready to read subtitles during movies. Families with foreign-film-savvy children should know that this one includes some mature themes about family make-up (single mother, absentee father, full-time nanny), relationships, and urban life. There's no violence or consumerism, but a few French profanities are translated into the subtitles ("s--t" is the most frequent culprit). Unsurprisingly, some adult characters smoke and drink wine.
  • Families can talk about the movie's artful depiction of life in France, puppetry, and photography/filmmaking.
  • The mother's regular smoking could be framed within the context of European culture versus the United States' increasing "no smoking" culture. What are the cultural differences and similarities between life in France and life in the United States?
  • How is the son's absent father depicted? How is this unconventional family portrayed?
  • What do you think the red balloon symbolizes in the film?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: The themes of the movie are about the importance of family, art, and city life.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Although the absentee father is a negative role model, Suzanne is a loving single mother who's realistically frazzled at trying to juggle the work-life balance. Her dedication to her son and her career is refreshing to see on film. Song is a caring nanny who allows Simon to explore his artistic side.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Not an issue
  • sex false1 Sex: Discussion of marriage and relationships but nothing overtly sexual.
  • language false2 Language: Subtitled language includes "bitch," "s--t," "idiot," and "stupid."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not surprisingly, since this is a French film, adults smoke cigarettes fairly regularly and drink wine with meals.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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