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Poster for Flight of the Red Balloon

Flight of the Red Balloon

Seen it?

2008 | 117 min | Family, Drama

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (82% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for families. If you loved The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Hugo, start here.
The mood
Feel-good.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 57 min.
What might put you off
  • No age rating on record, so check it first for young kids.
  • It's in French, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

The first part in a new series of films produced by Musée d'Orsay, 'Flight of the Red Balloon' tells the story of a French family as seen through the eyes of a Chinese student. The film was shot in August and September 2006 on location in Paris. This is Hou Hsiao-Hsien's first Western film. It is based on the classic French short The Red Balloon directed by Albert Lamorisse.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    82% on Rotten Tomatoes, 86 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 6K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien

  • Juliette BinocheSuzanne
  • Simon IteanuSimon
  • Song FangSong
  • Hippolyte GirardotMarc
  • Louise MargolinLouise
  • Anna SigalevitchAnna
  • Flore Vannier-MoreauFlore
  • Charles-Edouard RenaultLorenzo
  • Aneliese RoettgerMonique
  • Damien Maestraggi