Rent Balloon (2018)
3.7 of 5 from 147 ratings
2h 0min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Summer 1979, East Germany during the height of the Cold War. Two ordinary families yearning for freedom secretly form a great escape plan to get across to the West. With courage and ingenuity as their main weapons, they build a hot air balloon with small pieces of cloth for their eight family members to fly over the Iron Curtain. But an initial failure puts their entire plan in jepopardy, setting off a dangerous race against time for a second attempt, with the State Police now hot on their heels...An incredible and gripping true story of resistance.
- Actors:
- Friedrich Mücke, Karoline Schuch, David Kross, Alicia von Rittberg, Thomas Kretschmann, Jonas Holdenrieder, Tilman Döbler, Christian Näthe, Till Patz, Ben Teichmann, Ronald Kukulies, Emily Kusche, Sebastian Hülk, Gernot Kunert, Ulrich Brandhoff, Peter Trabner, Bernd Michael Lade, Kai Ivo Baulitz, Bernd Stegemann, Antje Traue
- Directors:
- Michael Bully Herbig
- Producers:
- Michael Bully Herbig
- Voiced By:
- Kaspar Eichel, Daniela Elhagh, Angela Jacobi, Shirin Lotze, Julia Lowack, Wolfgang Haas, Uwe Kosubek, Daniel Pietzuch, Matthias Ransberger, Gina Benussi, Ben, Josefina
- Writers:
- Kit Hopkins, Thilo Röscheisen, Michael Bully Herbig
- Aka:
- Der Ballon / Ballon
- Studio:
- StudioCanal
- Genres:
- Drama, Thrillers
- Countries:
- Germany, Drama, Thrillers
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 07/10/2019
- Run Time:
- 120 minutes
- Languages:
- German
- Subtitles:
- English
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.40:1
- Colour:
- Colour
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Reviews (3) of Balloon
Great film with thrilling finale - Balloon review by JB
When we received this DVD it was set to run in English, which turned out to be dubbed into American, therefore making a complete nonsense of the whole plot (German family in East Germany). Once we set it to German with English subtitles it magically changed into a great story, based on fact.
The acting was wooden at times (apart from the smaller boy who was very natural) and the sets felt a bit stagey.
However, the story of the escape attempts was gripping and tension built up as the film progressed.
There were tears in our household by the end.
Recommended.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Thrilling escape from E. Germany - Balloon review by DR
A well produced film with a convincing portrayal of life in a rural E. German environment.
The family have good employment, a large house and a relatively good car, access to W. German TV, and they can afford holidays by the Black Sea, but they still want to take a huge risk to reach W. Germany.
The german sound track with english subtitles is satisfactory, but the english dubbed soundtrack is poor.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Effective cold-war escape thriller - Balloon review by Alphaville
Low-key thriller about an East German family’s attempts to escape to the West in 1979. After their initial hot-air balloon attempt fails it’s a race against time as the Stasi close in. It could do with more oomph and a stronger score, but you’ll be rooting for the family to make it. Settle in for a solid watch as the film builds to a nail-biting climax and unexpectedly poignant end-credits sequence.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.