MovieChat Forums > Le voyage du ballon rouge (2008) Discussion > Point of the Film

Point of the Film

posted 17 years ago by Sgt_Bilko
6 replies | jump to latest

Just seen this at the London film festival. A packed cinema full of bored and restless people. I have to agree with them it was possibly one of the most boring 2 hours of my life.

I usually like this kind of "slice of life" film but here the characters where boring, the dialogue very sparce and the locations unexciting.

But the main reason I left feeling dissapointed is that there really seemed to be no point in the film whatsoever. The balloon was obviously supposed to represent something but I have no idea what! It just seemed to be a way of drawing in crowds who had heard of or seen the 1950's film.

So I am hopeing someone on these boards has an idea on what the central message of the film was, assuming there was one.

[–] jasongrimshaw 17 years ago

Im always afraid to leave a film in case it pays off patience at the end...

Have a look at this link:

http://antagonie.blogspot.com/2007/10/ciff-just-another-childrens-story.html

Im not saying it should change your mind, but it may qualify certain aspects - specifically that Hou operates within a very precise niche in cinema. Working with a western star for the first time it will be very interesting to see if that will increase his impact... or is it a case of never-the-twain shall meet!

[–] Sgt_Bilko 17 years ago

I didn't leave the film, I watched it all the way through.

Thats an interesting article.

particularly this observation.

"the Chinese woman is interpreting a classically French film, and the French woman is interpreting a classically Chinese story. Fluidity of culture is another major touchstone of Hou's cinema, along with the enjambment between the modern and the classical, and the way those themes cross each other and build themselves up together is very elegant here."

There are a lot of themes in this film and it had some great potential, I just feel that Hou failed to realise them. So much more could have been made out of the story.

This may be because the dialogue was not scripted, so things like a "plot" never come through.

I just feel that it was perhaps a wasted opportunity.

[–] andy_n_johansen 16 years ago

I would say the point of the film is exactly what you see in the movie, the directors own way of giving the audience a slice of life. I saw the movie as a double feature. First the original short film from the 50ties was shown, and directly afterwards the 2007 movie. I did feel also that many of the people sitting in the cinema got restless, and a few did walk out during the movie.
I guess in the end people should maybe be aware of what kind of movie theyre going to watch before watching, or else many could get disappointed. I already knew what to expect having seen several of the directors movies. Although i must agree that this movie is not as strong artistically as some of his earlier features.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] SaintLeto 16 years ago

Well, it didn't have a strong plot... but I enjoyed it with the thought of just relaxing. Juliette Binoche had a few interesting moments.

[–] nutsberryfarm 12 years ago

almost too relaxing.

Silver Lining Accounting Service: "We satisfy or we eat it."