The Black Balloon

Coming-of-age family drama, from director Elissa Down, about a teenage boy adapting to life in a new town with an autistic brother in tow. 16-year-old Thomas (Rhys Wakefield) has just moved with his family to a new town. It’s hard enough adapting to new home, friends, and school, but when you have an older autistic brother and distinctly odd parents, it’s always going to be tough. Thomas’s older brother Charlie (Luke Ford) suffers from ADS syndrome, and consequently gets to choose which days to attend the local school. With his father prone to discussing world affairs with his teddy-bear, and his mother likely to sleep with whomever she chooses, it’s not ideal. Things take a turn for the worse when his mother announces she’s pregnant, causing Thomas to have an even bigger role in caring for Charlie. But just when things seem to at their blackest, Thomas runs into, literally, girl-next-door Jackie (Gemma Ward), and hearts begin to pound..