User reviews

The black balloon is a masterclass in American short films. The performances are standout, remain with you long after the watching the film. Josh & Benn are a rare dynamic family duo unlike the other sibling-teams they break the rules with finesse.

Good energy of chaotic but mastered filmmaking, capturing in very intense close-up shots ultra-stressed characters, struggling to tear the object of their desire from life, in a diverse and raw Manhattan offering a rich aesthetic context to the action. You have to see Larry "Ratso" Sloman roaming the streets, talking to the black balloon...

Above this boiling pot, in fertile contrast, floats a haunting music with magical accents, 'Zero the Hero and the Witch's Spell' by Gong. It's obsessive and fascinating.

It could be said of the film that it conveys a dark vision of the human kind, a block of frustration and unhappiness contrasting with the benevolent lightness of a balloon candidly floating in the air. But it is done with such electrifying energy that we can only draw from it more optimism, freshness, will.