6 Balões

6 balloons is about Kathy (played by Abbi Jacobson) finding out that her brother Seth (played by Dave Franco) has relapsed in his heroin addiction and this just before organizing a birthday party for her husband. It's a believable drama about dealing with a junkie in the family. Well almost believable. You can see his suffering while going cold turkey and her suffering with the dilemma between helping her brother score drugs or bringing him to a rehabilitation center instead. The suffering is believable, but for a hardcore junkie they could have said something about the constant lying, about the stealing, and about the physical signs of deterioration due to addiction. He looked well to clean to pass as a heroin addict. The acting was good, the story also, but it could have used a bit more drama to me to make it more real. Good enough to watch once though.

*Not REALLY a spoiler.* Coming from someone who has personally dealt with this issue, it is extremely true to life. I could see how a person who hasn't been on either end of the spectrum could be quick to judge films about addiction (for example, thinking "that wouldn't happen or she/he would never do that). But believe me, it does and they do. While this isn't the best film I've seen dealing with addiction, it is an amazing portrayal of how addiction is a family disease (especially w/codependence) and is so so brutal. Abbi Jacobson nailed her role, as did Dave Franco. As for the actual "film", I thought it was really well done. There's a kind of narrative throughout this that I liked a lot. I prefer a character study and good plot/story over a big budget, full of explosions and car chases movie. So if you're looking for that sort of thing you may not enjoy this as much as myself. So yes, definitely recommend:)

This film tells the story of a young woman who discovers that her brother is back on heroin.

As she drives around for a detox centre, it is clear that she really wants him to stay abstinent from heroin. However, the film takes a turn and then I just got confused. Is she becoming complicit of the crimes? Later, she changes her mind again. I got really confused.

In addition, the audio book and underwater scenes that keep on being played are really annoying. It brings the whole mood down, and truncates the continuity of the story. I must have missed some important imagery and messages. I was not sure what the message of the film is.

This story is about a sister's love for her Brother and how much she sacrifices for him. There is no big event or a climax in the movie however it does bring you on her journey. You feel her pain, her disappointment, her anger. It's a good movie. Those who have or had someone they love with a drug addiction will find this story all too familiar and for those who don't, this shines a light on what they go through.

I watched it all the way through. While it was a fairly accurate take on what it's like to love an addict, it's also incredibly underwhelming.