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The Black Balloon

PG-1320081h 37mElissa Down
IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 85% · Metacritic 68

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Synopsis

"Normal is relative."

Thomas is turning 16. His dad's in the army and they've just moved to a town in New South Wales; his mom is pregnant; his older brother, Charlie, who's autistic, has his own adolescent sexual issues. Thomas finds Charlie an embarrassment in public, so when Thomas is attracted to Jackie, a girl in his swim class, Charlie presents any number of obstacles when she drops by their house, when the three of them go for a walk, and during a family birthday dinner. Can Thomas find a way to enter the world of teen romance and still be his brother's keeper, or is Charlie's disability going to prove more than Thomas can handle?

Drama
Sydney, AustraliaBirthdayAutismFamily DinnerSwimmingFirst LoveSocial ServicesWoman Director

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Frequently asked questions

What is The Black Balloon (2008) about?

Thomas is turning 16. His dad's in the army and they've just moved to a town in New South Wales; his mom is pregnant; his older brother, Charlie, who's autistic, has his own adolescent sexual issues. Thomas finds Charlie an embarrassment in public, so when Thomas is attracted to Jackie, a girl in his swim class, Charlie presents any number of obstacles when she drops by their house, when the…

Who stars in The Black Balloon?

The Black Balloon stars Rhys Wakefield (Thomas Mollison), Luke Ford (Charlie Mollison), Toni Collette (Maggie Mollison), Erik Thomson (Simon Mollison), Gemma Ward (Jackie Masters). The film was directed by Elissa Down.

How long is The Black Balloon?

The Black Balloon has a runtime of 1 min and premiered in 2008. It is rated PG-13.

Is The Black Balloon worth watching?

The Black Balloon holds an IMDb rating of 7.2/10. On Rotten Tomatoes it scores 85. Fans of Drama are most likely to enjoy it — TasteRay can tell you how well it matches your personal taste.

Where can I watch The Black Balloon?

Streaming availability for The Black Balloon changes by country and service. TasteRay tracks where it is available across Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Apple TV+ and 50+ other platforms — the current options for your country are shown on this page.