Balloon

This is quite a tense and gripping, as well as fairly claustrophobic, film. I felt sorry for the parents, trying to do the best for their kids and I could feel their frustrations too. Its pretty thought provoking - I can only imagine how it felt to live in what was then eastern Germany, if you didn't share the political views of the majority etc. The cast do a good job and the background music is just about right - not too 'in your face' or overly artificial seeming. I thought the plot pace was quite good and it certainly kept me watching throughout. I would recommend this film, yes.

Not to be confused with the Chinese fable of the same name, this fact-based German political thriller presents a gripping saga of two families and their perilous scheme to escape East Germany in 1979 by floating over the border in a home-built hot air balloon. The film effectively captures the pervasive sense of paranoia and fright that everyday citizens felt under the scrutiny of the Stasi, the socialist nation's notorious secret police, just in going about their regular routines, let alone in attempting such a daring feat at this. While the picture occasionally overdoes it in its efforts to create dramatic tension, it nevertheless conveys an otherwise-authentic feel of what it was like to live under such stressful conditions -- and the desperation to escape it and find a life of freedom. Well worth the time.