Balloon

Film description

Two brothers run on the meadows surrounding Lake Qinghai, always waving in the penetrating wind. Little scamps dream of balloons, but until their father brings the promised toys, they settle for inflated condoms - the last pieces found under their parents' pillow. The existence of a three-generation family, grazing a flock of sheep, seems to consist of such simple situations, and is regulated by the rhythm of beautiful but harsh nature. However, there is another powerful factor that will have a dramatic impact on their lives: the policy of one child, introduced with absolute consistency by China, colliding with the traditions of the protagonists. The lack of condoms provokes events that will determine the future of the family, revealing different needs and desires of its members.

Wise and full of lyrical humour, "Balloon" is another film after "Jinpa" that confirms the excellent form of the Tibetan director and strengthens him as an ambassador of this cinematography. Tseden again manages to capture in his lenses the firmly rooted traditions of his homeland and Buddhist mentality of its inhabitants. Without giving up ethnographic elements, he focuses on a fascinating story about vital choices of ordinary people. On the screen, among many non-professionals, appear also actors known from "Jinpa": Sonam Wangmo and Jinpa. Lu Songye, the cinematographer responsible for the visual side of "Jinpa" and "Tharlo", is again in charge of the magical cinematography.

Marcin Krasnowolski