Flight of the Red Balloon

Flight of the Red Balloon

2007 · 117 min · ★ 6.3 · Family, Drama

The first part in a new series of films produced by Musée d'Orsay, 'Flight of the Red Balloon' tells the story of a French family as seen through the eyes of a Chinese student. The film was shot in August and September 2006 on location in Paris. This is Hou Hsiao-Hsien's first Western film. It is based on the classic French short The Red Balloon directed by Albert Lamorisse.

Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien · Written by Hou Hsiao-hsien

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

PhiloAMC Plus Apple TV channelAMC+ Amazon ChannelAMC+ Roku Premium ChannelAMC+Sundance Now

Rent or Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV Store

Cast

Make it a double feature

4h 7m together

Flight of the Red Balloon

Three Times

Both from Hou Hsiao-hsien.

More from Hou Hsiao-hsienSee all →

Six Is CompanySix Is Company · 1982
Six Is Company
10.01982
Movie
Kenny Bee plays a saxophonist who works in a night club. Fang Hui-jang is the oldest sister in a four-child family whose father is working abroad. They are forced to live together in a house because they are fooled by a cheater who pretends to be the owner of the house they rent and runs away after taking both their rents. This love comedy begins after this couple lives together. —Anonymous
Raise the Red LanternRaise the Red Lantern · 1991
Raise the Red Lantern
7.91991
MovieDrama
In 1920s China, 19-year-old Songlian becomes a concubine of a powerful lord and is forced to compete with his three wives for the privileges gained.
Dust in the WindDust in the Wind · 1986
Dust in the Wind
7.61986
MovieDramaRomance
A-yuan and A-yun are both from the small mining town of Jio-fen. They move to Taipei, where A-yuan is an apprentice by day and goes to night school, and A-yun works as a helper at a tailors. Everyone thinks they are meant for each other, and so do they. They fail to see time and fate are beyond their control.
Old FoxOld Fox · 2023
Old Fox
7.62023
MovieDrama
Set in the late 1980s, this family drama is about an 11-year-old boy who befriends his landlord, nicknamed Old Fox, and learns from him how to survive in a rapidly changing world as well as things his poor father would never be able to teach him.
That Day, on the BeachThat Day, on the Beach · 1983
That Day, on the Beach
7.61983
MovieDramaRomance
Two friends who haven't seen each other for thirteen years reunite. One is a successful concert pianist just back from a European tour and the other has just started a new business.
A Summer at Grandpa'sA Summer at Grandpa's · 1984
A Summer at Grandpa's
7.51984
MovieDrama
A coming-of-age story about a young brother and sister whom spend a pivotal summer in the country with their grandparents.
A City of SadnessA City of Sadness · 1989
A City of Sadness
7.51989
MovieDramaHistory
The story of a family embroiled in the "White Terror," the Kuomintang government's anti-communist political repression that was wrought on the Taiwanese people from 1947-1987.
Taipei StoryTaipei Story · 1985
Taipei Story
7.51985
MovieDrama
A young woman urgently seeks to navigate the maze of contemporary Taipei and find a future. She hopes that her boyfriend Lung is the key to the future, but Lung is stuck in a past that combines baseball and traditional loyalty that leads him to squander his nest egg bailing her father out of financial trouble.
The Boys from FengkueiThe Boys from Fengkuei · 1983
The Boys from Fengkuei
7.31983
MovieDrama
Ah-Ching and his friends have just finished school in their island fishing village, and now spend most of their time drinking and fighting. Three of them decide to go to the port city of Kaohsiung to look for work. They find an apartment through relatives, and Ah-Ching is attracted to the girlfriend of a neighbor. There they face the harsh realities of the big city.
The Time to Live and the Time to DieThe Time to Live and the Time to Die · 1985
The Time to Live and the Time to Die
7.21985
MovieDrama
An autobiographical film based on Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien's memories of his youth growing up in Taiwan after emigrating from mainland China.
Daughter of the NileDaughter of the Nile · 1987
Daughter of the Nile
7.21987
MovieDramaCrime
Lin Hsiao-yang tries to keep her family together while working as a waitress at Kentucky Fried Chicken and going to night school. With no mother and her father currently working out of town, it is up to Lin Hsiao-yang to take care of her younger siblings, who are slipping into a life of crime.
Goodbye South, GoodbyeGoodbye South, Goodbye · 1996
Goodbye South, Goodbye
7.01996
MovieCrimeDrama
In this portrait of small-time hoods rendered in rhythm-of-life anecdotal detail, Gao is the leader of a circle of layabouts including his sidekick, Flathead, and their girlfriends, Pretzel and Ling. He is also the originator of petty crime schemes, which promise to get the gang nowhere fast.
Twisted StringsTwisted Strings · 2022
Twisted Strings
7.02022
SeriesMysteryComedy
Leading Taiwan cinema names Hou Hsiao-hsien (“The Assassin,” “The Puppetmaster”) and Lee Kang-sheng (“Days,” “Goodbye, Dragon Inn”) are attached to “Twisted Strings”, a TV anthology series backed by HBO Asia and streamer Catchplay.The seven-part series is written and directed by Golden Horse-nominated director, Huang Xi (“Missing Johnny”). Hou is attached as the series executive producer. Lee, who has appeared exclusively in films over the past 30 years, notably those of famed Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang, stars.
Millennium MamboMillennium Mambo · 2001
Millennium Mambo
7.02001
MovieDrama
In 2011, Vicky looks back on her life a decade earlier, recalling her turbulent relationship with her controlling boyfriend Hao Hao and her growing connection to a compassionate gangster amid the neon haze of Taipei's nightlife.
Three TimesThree Times · 2005
Three Times
7.02005
MovieRomanceDrama
In three separate segments, set respectively in 1966, 1911, and 2005, three love stories unfold between three sets of characters, under three different periods of Taiwanese history and governance.
Flowers of ShanghaiFlowers of Shanghai · 1998
Flowers of Shanghai
6.91998
MovieDrama
At the end of the 19th century, Shanghai is divided into several foreign concessions. In the British concession, a number of luxurious “flower houses” are reserved for the male elite of the city. Since Chinese dignitaries are not allowed to frequent brothels, these establishments are the only ones that these men can visit. They form a self-contained world, with its own rites, traditions and even its own language. The men don’t only visit the houses to frequent the courtesans but also to dine, smoke opium, play mahjong and relax. The women working there are known as the “flowers of Shanghai”.

More Like This

Little Indian, Big CityLittle Indian, Big City · 1994
Little Indian, Big City
6.01994
MovieAdventureDrama
Stephen, an international trader, tracks down his ex-wife Patricia in some Amazonian backwater. He needs her consent to a divorce so that he can marry Charlotte. Unfortunately, he discovers a son he didn’t know he had – Mimi-Siku. The young jungle boy yearns to see Paris so Stephen reluctantly agrees to take him back home with him for a few days. How will Mimi-Siku react to life in the great metropolis?
The TenantThe Tenant · 1976
The Tenant
7.61976
MovieThrillerMystery
A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in Paris where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.
TrueTrue · 2004
True
7.02004
MovieDramaRomance
While he's receiving an enigmatic phone call from his girlfriend Francine, Thomas remembers the milestones of their relationship, from the very moment they met in a really strange way. A segment of “Paris, je t'aime” (2006).
The Hunchback of Notre DameThe Hunchback of Notre Dame · 1956
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
6.71956
MovieDramaHorror
In 1482 Paris, Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, becomes infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protégé and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he's involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the Devil's work.
Anthony ZimmerAnthony Zimmer · 2005
Anthony Zimmer
6.32005
MovieThrillerCrime
François, an ordinary Joe, falls hard for the sublimely beautiful woman who has just picked him up on the train and invited him to spend the weekend with her on the Riviera. But when the lady disappears the next morning and the police drag him in for questioning, François discovers he's been set up to pass for her notorious outlaw husband on the run, Anthony Zimmer. Even though he's been lied to and manipulated, François' life is changed forever and he's ready to give anything - maybe even his life - to hold this mysterious beauty in his arms again.
The Great RaceThe Great Race · 1965
The Great Race
7.11965
MovieComedyAdventure
Professional daredevil and white-suited hero, The Great Leslie, convinces turn-of-the-century auto makers that a race from New York to Paris (westward across America, the Bering Straight and Russia) will help to promote automobile sales. Leslie's arch-rival, the mustached and black-attired Professor Fate vows to beat Leslie to the finish line in a car of Fate's own invention.
Little Man TateLittle Man Tate · 1991
Little Man Tate
6.61991
MovieDramaFamily
Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the opportunities that he needs, and that he is not taken advantage of by people who forget that his extremely powerful intellect is harboured in the body and emotions of a child.
Le Cercle RougeLe Cercle Rouge · 1970
Le Cercle Rouge
7.61970
MovieCrimeDrama
When French criminal Corey gets released from prison, he resolves to never return. He is quickly pulled back into the underworld, however, after a chance encounter with escaped murderer Vogel. Along with former policeman and current alcoholic Jansen, they plot an intricate jewel heist. All the while, quirky Police Commissioner Mattei, who was the one to lose custody of Vogel, is determined to find him.
Cyrano de BergeracCyrano de Bergerac · 1990
Cyrano de Bergerac
7.31990
MovieDramaComedy
Famed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.
ColetteColette · 2018
Colette
6.92018
MovieDramaHistory
After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as Willy, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels.
The Pink PantherThe Pink Panther · 2006
The Pink Panther
5.92006
MovieComedyMystery
When the coach of the France football team is killed by a poisoned dart in the stadium at the end of a game, and his huge, expensive ring with the Pink Panther diamond disappears, the ambitious Chief Inspector Dreyfus assigns the worst police inspector – Jacques Clouseau – to the case.
The CrocodilesThe Crocodiles · 2009
The Crocodiles
7.22009
MovieAdventureFamily
Ten-year-old Hannes, growing up with his young, poor and single mother wants to join the coolest gang in the area, the Vorstadtkrokodile. When the ‘entry test’ goes wrong, Hannes’s life is saved by Kai, who is desperate to join too but is wheelchair bound and unable to even run away when things get hot. Hannes would accept Kai but the other gang members don’t seem happy to accept a handicapped member...
Dennis the MenaceDennis the Menace · 1993
Dennis the Menace
5.91993
MovieFamilyComedy
Mr. Wilson's ever-present annoyance comes in the form of one mischievous kid named Dennis. But he'll need Dennis's tricks to uncover a collection of gold coins that go missing when a shady drifter named Switchblade Sam comes to town.
RepriseReprise · 2006
Reprise
7.12006
MovieDrama
Fueled by literary aspirations and youthful exuberance, two competitive friends endure the pangs of love, depression, and burgeoning careers.
SabrinaSabrina · 1995
Sabrina
6.21995
MovieRomanceDrama
After her return from school in Paris, a playboy finally takes notice of his family's chauffeur's daughter Sabrina, who's long had a crush on him, but he questions his more serious brother's motives when he warns against getting involved with her.
The Nanny DiariesThe Nanny Diaries · 2007
The Nanny Diaries
6.42007
MovieComedyDrama
A college graduate goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge.
The Brothers LionheartThe Brothers Lionheart · 1977
The Brothers Lionheart
6.71977
MovieAdventureFantasy
After brothers Jonathan and Crusty pass away, they reunite in Nangijala, the land of eternal spring. Casting a long shadow over their world is the tyrant Tengil, ruler of the country Karmanjaka, where he’s building his new fortress up in the Ancient Mountains.
The American FriendThe American Friend · 1977
The American Friend
7.11977
MovieDramaThriller
Tom Ripley, an American who deals in forged art, is slighted at an auction in Hamburg by picture framer Jonathan Zimmerman. When Ripley is asked by gangster Raoul Minot to kill a rival, he suggests Zimmerman, and the two, exploiting Zimmerman's terminal illness, coerce him into being a hitman.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter