Iam Writing this review on The Black Balloon after seeing this movie because the is a genuine portrayl of How a family with an autistic child My family, My Parents and Myself, went to see this movie mainly because we have an autistic boy in our family who is 14. I was very worried going in, not knowing what to expect. The movie is honest and a bit raw, in a good sense. We sobbed because the movie is confronting but at the same time It raises much needed awareness for autism and seeing how families with autisitc children have to function. But we all agreed that it was a really good Australian film. I particularly liked the fact that it is told from the brothers point of view. This is important to understand. I advise anyone to go and see it for your own entertainment and education, to support our Australian film industry and to help society become more understanding of people with differences.

One of the most gorgeous, sacred even of all Aussie films. So typical of life in the sunny 'burbs or country towns of Australia. The hidden secrets exploding across the veneers all tackled with such an Aussie sense of humour and such a human sense of giving each other a fair go to start a fresh ... even if it's just for the next part of the day.

This is a mighty little flick in that it captures so much of the essence of family life and neighbourhood mateship and neighborly 'hateship'. The acting is the best and the characters are just pure joy.

This is a beautifully realistic portrayal of a family coping with the testing reality of having a severley disruptive youth running your lives. Very well acted roles lend to the real drama of everyday life in this excellent aussie production.

The sincere portrayal of the sibling rivallary clouded by adolescent issues adds extra drama to a wonderful story. Highly recommend this simply told tale of every day drama.

I thourougly enjoyed this film for it's raw sensitivity and sentimentality. Thank you to FFC Australia for continuing to finance films that may not make a squillion at the box office, but are of great cultural significance in this country.

I was was originally going to see, 'The Bucket List' but when looking at the reviews, thought this one might be good, and with being a fan of Toni Collette. It was still a toss-up on the way to the cinema, but I thought an Aussie film would be a change.

I thought the film was well acted by all. It has sad moments when the other school kids are making fun of Charlie, I felt sorry for him and quite emotional. Thomas's autistic brother, who was said to also have ADD.(Attention Deficit Disorder) I thought the character must have been meant to be retarded too, which Thomas disputed, as I always thought autistic children weren't retarded, just living within themselves, unable to connect.

I would have liked the story to have developed more at the end, as it just seemed to fizzle out.

Although Toni Collette played her part well, I wouldn't say it was one of her best films - not as good as ' Muriel's Wedding' or 'About A Boy.' Worth seeing if you don't mind the subject matter and the one or two 'gross' things that Charlie does! A well-done film.

THE BLACK BALLOON is a 'try hard' film that had great potential until it hit the screen.

The performances of everyone with the exception of Toni Collette, who only has one look and the range of Christopher Reeve after his accident, are watchable and well-cast. Newcomer Gemma Ward doesn't have to do much but look good and accomplishes that.

Direction is solid and the editing and score above par. But the Aussie Rain Man is ultimately disappointing as none of the characters really go anywhere, and the 'feel good' finale is worse than the rap that local critics often hang on schmaltz American films. The difference is that American films spend more than ten dollars on script development. The script went through the Aurora workshop in Australia, which gave us the equally disappointing SOMERSAULT. All good looks, nice performances, quality credits, and a half-baked story.

With the greatest respect, the only people that are going to love this movie are families with autistic children. It will resonate with them. For the rest of Australia (read: most!), it's a missed opportunity that could have used someone who knew what to do with the story. Meandering between comedy, tragedy, black comedy, and drama, it just, regrettably, walked the line between all of them without commitment.

My family, husband and two daughters, went to see this movie mainly because we have an autistic boy in our family who is 17. I was very worried going in, not knowing what to expect. The movie is honest and a bit raw, in a good sense.

We laughed and sobbed. But we all agreed that it was a really good Australian film.

I particularly liked the fact that it is told from the brothers point of view. This is important to understand. The time in the theatre went really fast, which is always a good sign.

I advise anyone to go and see it for your own entertainment and education, to support our Australian film industry and to help society become more understanding of people with differences.

This was a typical Australian story told in a very emotional and heart felt way. This is what all Australian movies should be aiming to achieve. Luke Ford, Rhys Wakefield and Gemma Ward are the next big things. Very impressed

This is a superbly crafted Aussie piece of magic. Everything is understated, and the cast work wonders as an ensemble. There are low budget type areas, however, this is a wonderful film with an enourmous heart. It's a story about courage, patience and our limits. I recommend this to anyone who is sick of American, slick, big budget no brainers. It restores my faith in film as a medium by which to tell intimate truths.

As a mother of an Autistic daughter. I laughed and cryed at this move, at times while watching this I was doing both at the same time.

From the minute it started I didn't look away until the end.

I have never been so moved by a film as I was with this one. It haunted me for days. It was spot on, and unbelievably realistic. I felt it was a reflection of my life and my eldest daughters emotions of having a sister with this "life sentence" of a mental illness.

Fantastic! if you only see one movie this year. This is it.

Didn't know what to expect with this movie and was pleasantly surprised.

A moving and believable story of an Aussie family with the older boy being autistic; and the story of the younger brother coming to terms with this as well as trying to fit into his new high school. The relationship that develops between the younger boy, Thomas and his new girlfriend is sweet and poignant as she shows such understanding of his difficult situation. All actors are great and Gemma Ward shows such potential.

Do yourself a favour and go and see it.

This movie was a flash back in time to the past, wonderful memories of clothes, toys and cars. At times "the Black Balloon" was too close to home. A truly remarkable and honest look at the effects of having a child with Autism in the family. It showed the lows and the highs of caring for a special member of the family. Realistic.

This is a lovely film! Don't be put off by the subject matter, this movie is far from depressing - rather, it is disarmingly sweet and ultimately uplifting. That's not to say it doesn't deal with serious subject matter, but the drama is neatly offset by genuinely funny moments and charming performances. Toni Collette is at her best as the heavily pregnant mother of two teenage boys, the elder of whom is severely autistic. Rhys Wakefield also puts in a solid performance as the film's 15-year-old main character, Thomas. For me, however, the real eye-opener is Luke Ford who plays the 18-year-old autistic Charlie - a truly jaw-dropping and totally convincing perfomance! Think Leonardo di Caprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. I kid you not, it's that good.

This is a film that pretty much everyone will enjoy, so do yourself a favour and go see this movie!

Evocative of fun filled days at school, this takes me back when I was carefree and having fun. Great movie and cast, recommended!!