The Black Balloon

“Normal is relative.”

Thomas is turning 16. His dad's in the army and they've just moved to a town in New South Wales; his mom is pregnant; his older brother, Charlie, who's autistic, has his own adolescent sexual issues. Thomas finds Charlie an embarrassment in public, so when Thomas is attracted to Jackie, a girl in his swim class, Charlie presents any number of obstacles when she drops by their house, when the three of them go for a walk, and during a family birthday dinner. Can Thomas find a way to enter the world of teen romance and still be his brother's keeper, or is Charlie's disability going to prove more than Thomas can handle?

Director

Elissa Down

Music

Michael Yezerski

Screenplay

Jimmy Jack

Screenplay

Elissa Down

Status

Released

Release date

08/03/2008

Original language

English

Budget

US$ 5 M

Box office

US$ 5 M