Stray Balloon

Could there be a more apt summary for this short film than to mention the fact that even the IMDb entry for it is shoddy and features a spelling error in the 2-word title? Probably not but the film really does match these lackluster feel in every regard from concept through to delivery. The idea behind the film is that we have a series of little stories that are connected by the involvement of a stray balloon drifting through the sky, distracting or engaging those that witness it and sending them on a flight of fancy of their own. As a sentence it doesn't sound too bad but the reality is really poor.

Each tiny section of the short is obvious and badly written with very little to engage with. The narration makes it seem even more corny and obvious than it already is and to top it off it is badly shot and acted too. There is maybe one or two interesting ideas in here but the bad delivery smothers them out pretty quickly and leaves a film that really has almost nothing to offer from the ideas through to the delivery. As a talentless armchair critic, I always want to love independent short films because they represent hope and aspiration and, most importantly, creative effort and bravery – but unfortunately none of these things really seemed to make a difference in this case.