Helium High

Comments (0) By Brittan Dunham Thursday, Sep 4 2008

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A young boy. A red balloon. Paris. These simple elements taken from Albert Lamorisse's 1956 Academy Award-winning short film The Red Balloon are woven into a beautiful, modern-day story about art, childhood and family in Hou Hsiao-hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon. When life begins to overwhelm Suzanne, a busy single mother of two, played to perfection by Juliette Binoche, she hires Song, a Taiwanese film student, to help look after her young son Simon. Hsiao-hsien's camera drifts slowly through the art-filled streets of Paris and the minds of his characters as Song, Suzanne and Simon--followed and mirrored throughout the film by the title's floating red balloon--find their lives and experiences intertwining. What unfolds is a touching exploration of life and the bonds of family. A highlight at the 2007 Cannes, Toronto, AFI and New York film festivals, Flight of the Red Balloon screens at 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday at The Modern in Fort Worth as part of The Magnolia at the Modern, an ongoing series featuring critically acclaimed films. Tickets are $8.50 (or $6.50 for Modern members). Advance sales begin two hours prior to each show. For more information visit themodern.org/magnolia.html.
Sept. 5-7, 2008