IMDb > The Black Balloon (2008)
The Black Balloon
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Black Balloon (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 5 | slideshow) Videos (see all 8)
The Black Balloon (2008) -- All Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity. Will Thomas, with the help of his girlfriend, Jackie (Ward), accept his brother?
The Black Balloon (2008) -- All Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity. Will Thomas, with the help of his girlfriend, Jackie (Ward), accept his brother?
The Black Balloon (2008) -- kino-zeit.de - Trailer (Flash)

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   2,099 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 28% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Elissa Down

Writers:

Elissa Down (writer)
Jimmy Jack (writer)

Contact:

View company contact information for The Black Balloon on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

6 March 2008 (Australia) more

Genre:

Drama more

Plot:

All Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity. Will Thomas, with the help of his girlfriend, Jackie, accept his brother? | add synopsis

Awards:

15 wins & 23 nominations more

NewsDesk:
(14 articles)

'Rachel Getting Married' Sweeps 2009 Prism Awards in Film
 (From Aceshowbiz. 23 April 2009, 11:34 PM, PDT)

Movie Review: The Black Balloon
 (From MovieRetriever. 5 March 2009, 10:29 PM, PST)

User Comments:

Effective drama with autism backdrop more (20 total)


Cast

  (Credited cast)

Rhys Wakefield ... Thomas Mollison

Luke Ford ... Charlie Mollison

Toni Collette ... Maggie Mollison

Erik Thomson ... Simon Mollison
Gemma Ward ... Jackie Masters
Lloyd Allison-Young ... James

Nathin Butler ... Chris

Lisa Kowalski ... Sally

Firass Dirani ... Russell

Aaron Glenane ... Bucko
Andy Meritakis ... Daniel
Henry Nixon ... Trevor
Sally Evans ... Girl on Bus
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Allison ... Maternity Ward Husband
Jeffery Armstrong ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Robert Armstrong ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Rosemary Armstrong ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Holly Austin ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
George Badawi ... Russell's Dad
Alexander Berlage ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
George Bountros ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Kate Box ... Elizabeth
Oliver Brookes ... Other Mate of Kid Next Door
Matthew Cahill ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Zoe Carides ... Russell's Mum
Ryan Clark ... Dean
Yure Covich ... Maths Teacher
Indigo Cumming ... Baby Sophie
Jennifer Cutler ... Maternity Ward Patient
Shai de Vletter-Sont ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Paul Doyle ... P.E. Teacher
James Duffy ... Baby Sophie
Makirum Fahey-Leigh ... Mate of Kid Next Door
Sofia Fedirchuk ... Baby Sophie
Terry Flanagan ... Teacher
Sam Fraser ... Kid Next Door
Cameron Fyfe ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Carla Gee ... Caroline

Andrew James ... Teacher at Fight
Eliza Logan ... Emergency Nurse
Martin Lynes ... Emergency Doctor
Rebecca Massey ... Miss Babb
James Maxwell ... Cricket Commentator

Claire McCarthy ... Teacher
Tyne Miller ... Student on Bus
Toby Molineaux ... Student Who Gets Hit
Lachlan Monaghan ... Student on Bus
Birthe Nohrden ... Supermarket Customer
Jared Ohlstein ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Bradley Orford ... Neighbour
Mathew Parsons ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Elle-May Patterson ... Kylie
Ngoc Phan ... Teacher's Aide
Anthony Phelan ... Mr. Masters
Deborah Piper ... Social Worker Janet
Amy Jo Farrow Potts ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Jan Ringrose ... Neighbour
Andrew Ryan ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Inge Sildnik ... Supermarket Customer
Ellie Singer ... Student on Bus
Judy Singer ... Teacher
Edward Smith ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Kieran Smith ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Arahni Sont ... Teacher
Millie Spencer-Brown ... Checkout Girl

Louise Sykes ... Maternity Nurse
Gemma Thomas ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Zelie Thompson ... Mother in Van (as Zelie Bullen)
Jackson T. Trout ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'
Tom Trout ... Student on Bus
Sinisa Vrebac ... Student on Bus and in Musical 'Afloat'

Sarah Woods ... Janet
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:

To mavro baloni (Greece) [el]
more

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, a scene of violence, and brief strong language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Australia | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

A Bronze Medallion is an Australian Lifesaving qualification. There are 14 components that must be completed to achieve this qualification, all based around high quality swimming skills and rescue techniques. more

Goofs:

Factual errors: Although the film is set in Sydney (New South Wales), the Mollison's car has a Queensland number-plate. This is not unusual given that the family has just moved into the neighbourhood. However, it would be expected that the vehicle registration would be changed to NSW and the number-plates would also be changed within six months of the move. Given the apparent timeline of the film, this would be expected to have occurred. more

Quotes:

Maggie Mollison: Cheeky Monkey. more

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: Sizzling Superstars (#8.15)" (2009) more

Soundtrack:

Know You Now more


FAQ

What is this movie about?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful.
Effective drama with autism backdrop, 27 February 2009
Author: long-ford from India

This film is an effective coming-of-age drama with the backdrop of autism. Erik Thomson plays a shy 16 year old who's constantly embarrassed by his severely autistic brother, an excellent Luke Ford. Toni Collette plays the pregnant mother and is solid as usual. The drama never becomes morose and there's a playful tone running through the film. Some events are predictable (like the taunting by class-mates and social awkwardness) but they are probably part and parcel of every coming of age drama. The film shows in harrowing detail what it's like to take care of someone with severe autism. Informative and worth watching.

Overall 7/10

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (20 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Black Balloon (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Gemma Ward Performance kuba_1980
Unrealistic Scenes sunbatt50
In what decade was this film set? kite33
Why It's Bad [spoilers] willywilly
How old was Charlie supposed to be? vinylfish
Anyone got the soundtrack? Biggest_Loser
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Year My Voice Broke Azuloscurocasinegro All Fall Down Lars and the Real Girl Away We Go
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb Australia section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.