Rated: NR
Running Time: 3.14 Minutes
Year: 2006
Boobs: Zero
One Sentence: The Red Balloon is short on time but big on story.
How much time do you need to tell a story? A story that really keeps you interested, has a backstory, a conflict and a resolution. That really makes you feel good that you heard or saw that story? An hour? 20 muntes? How about 3.14 minutes?
This is my first short review. I don't know much about shorts, they are sometimes really amazing, and sometimes I really don't think much of them. It seems like for the most part it isn't going to execute very well. You are just limited in every way, you want more info, more story, more scenes, more of something that a short doesn't seem to provide, so when you get a good one, it makes you take notice.
Michael Olesen, the director and writer of The Red Balloon seems to have made me take notice. This movie, with no dialoge, 2 people, and only 3 minutes and 14 seconds long does what a lot of shorts fail at. It tells a good story, with nothing flashy or overdone. It is simple, sweet and practically perfect. It's hard to say if this short could be improved upon. I don't think so. I think it is great how it is and should not be changed.
This is what Michael had to say about his thoughts on making, The Red Balloon, "I am just a true fan of all movies and I wanted to see if I could be able to tell a strong story in such a short time frame without dialogue. Like the old silent classics. I just wanted to tell a story visually so that it could be for a universal audience." I think he nailed it. If you have a chance to check out The Red Balloon at a festival, then I think you should make sure to sit in on a screening. You can find out more about The Red Balloon at this IMDB page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0858474/
