The Black Balloon
A new Australian film has already been named Best Feature in the Generation14plus category at the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany. Because the NSW Government Film Office partially funded this film, members of Parliament and their staff were invited to the premiere and to meet the scriptwriters, producers and film stars.
The Black Balloon presents the writer/director’s own family experience in the Liverpool area in the 1990’s. This is a close examination of a family with autism, yet it is an outstanding family affirming movie. I was particularly desirous of seeing this film because supporting families with autism has been an activity of mine since 1967. In that year, I became aware of the disability of autism. It was a kind of disability that had never been mentioned in my studies of psychology or found in subsequently in my reading.
In 1967 a remarkable woman, Mrs. Margaret McGregor, a social worker, visited me and asked if I would help her establish a centre for providing a respite centre for parents of autistic children in our area of Melbourne. She explained to me the difficulties that parents of autistic children faced and the need of a respite centre. I made a study of autism and set about raising funds. As a result, the first such centre, in the area of Beaumaris, was subsequently opened and has served well ever since.
Not long afterwards, Mrs. McGregor shifted to Sydney and was again active on behalf of autistic children and their families. She came to visit me in my Pitt Street office to ask again for such help. I was pleased to give it through the work of Wesley Mission in its disabilities services. For over forty years, perhaps longer than any other person in public life, I have been involved with the families of autistic children.
Unfortunately, the general public is still unaware of the nature of autism and its affect on the life of the family involved, especially of other children. The story of “The Black Balloon” is straightforward: a pregnant mother (played by the gifted Toni Collette), a dad in the Army, a family that moves around a lot, the 15 ½ year old son who is ‘the new kid in school’ having to repeatedly prove himself, find his niche, and try to fit in, and an autistic brother. In other words, this is an otherwise ordinary suburban Australian family, except for the presence of an autistic child.
What is remarkable is how lovingly and poignantly writer/director, Elissa Down, handles the unfolding story. The lead actor (Luke Ford) portraying the older autistic brother evokes such laughter and frustration in viewers, that it approximates the lifelong experience of the family members themselves as they struggle to cope with events that are frequently hilarious and dangerous simultaneously. I found each of the situations authentic to what I have known for over 40 years.
Told in a series of harrowing episodes with Charlie wreaking havoc, embarrassment, despair, fear, loathing, hilarity, and tenderness, sometimes all at the same time. This film is not patronizing of disability, and deals head on with the feelings of the siblings who are dramatically impacted, as well as the parents’ daily struggle to make life work. It is an exceptional film and I can recommend it whole-heartedly.
While most people concentrate upon the actions of Charlie, the real story concerns the other members of the family and their reactions: of the mother who naturally gives the mentally ill child protective care and primary concern often at the expense of the other children; of the father who is inadequate in handling a child with special needs, and a young brother whose normal teenage growing concerns are not being met by his parents.
This film is authentic and true to life. It is not sentimental, but does have a realistic estimate of a young teenager’s growth in his acceptance of a brother who is different at a time when any teenager does not want to be different in any way to his peers. There is casual swearing throughout the film, presenting it as normal and acceptable. However, it is an uplifting, educational, affirmative film that helps in our understanding of families with a member who is disabled.
Rev The Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes, A.C., M.L.C.
