The Black Balloon 2008

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: At its sharpest Elissa Down's feature directorial debut is guided by intense, rough-edged emotional swings that feel authentically alive, even when the script settles for tidiness. Read more

Ted Fry, Seattle Times: There are wrenching scenes that are brutally stark, yet there remains a steady sense of calm that is touching and sensitive without ever turning sentimental. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Structurally and cinematically, The Black Balloon sticks to the coming-of-age basics, but [director] Down has a gift for conveying time and place. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: This unblinking family drama packs a visceral punch. Thomas' journey toward acceptance is blessedly free of noble lessons and filled with real people. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Toni Collette gives it the old Little Miss Sunshine try in The Black Balloon as an edge-of-kooky, very pregnant mama presiding over a chaotic household. Read more

Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: The Black Balloon courses with a firsthand feel for languorous Aussie summers, the shifting scales of love and hate in sibling relationships, and the earned wit that helps families cope with difficult situations. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: This small gem has a very satisfying ending. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The Black Balloon establishes this family with a delicate mixture of tenderness and pain. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: The film's vision is neither a grim wallow nor falsely cheerful. It's compassionate but unblinking, and in the end we can't help but admire the genuine strength of how its characters accept their special challenge. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The Black Balloon, a splendid Australian film about a teenager and his older autistic brother, gets it, from the happy/sad imagery of the title through the uplifting, but not saccharine, finale. Read more

Ben Kenigsberg, Time Out: Read more

Anna King, Time Out: Read more

Russell Edwards, Variety: Collette acts as an anchor for the ensemble, but the young leads credibly hold their own onscreen. Read more

Scott Foundas, Village Voice: This auspicious Oz import is a sign of bright, young filmmaking in Australia. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Thomas and Jackie's friendship, blossoming into a chaste romance, is the dramatic engine that powers The Black Balloon, but it's far from the most important relationship in the film. Read more