This account of the real life defection of two East German families via hot air balloon follows the Strelzyks and Wetzels as they attempt to evade detection from suspicious neighbours and the secret police (the Stasi) and achieve their dream at all costs.
Herbig, who also co-wrote the film’s screenplay, does an effective job of introducing the various obstacles blocking the families’ attempts to escape through the establishment of the oppressive, paranoia-inducing atmosphere of 1970s East German society. The most striking examples of this include the Strelzyk family’s interactions with their seemingly genial next door neighbour who works for the Stasi. Herbig and the actors provide these exchanges with a quietly building tension that creates the impression that any false move could result in the family being arrested and separated.
This tension is also present in other more conventionally staged sequences that are tonally consistent with other political thrillers. In particular, the Strelzyks’ attempts to enter the US Embassy in East Berlin involve a great number of tropes seen in Cold War era stories, such as passing concealed messages and mentioning the presence of bugged telephones. In addition, the use of intercut scenes involving a Stasi Lieutenant (Thomas Kretschmann) in dogged pursuit of the families are not only reminiscent of the archetypal Germanic authoritarian figures seen in countless Second World War films, but also further emphasise the increasing threat posed to the families by the Communist regime as the authorities appear to be gradually closing in on their plan.
As for the ballooning sequences themselves, they are convincingly executed through a combination of practical and digital effects that manage to fully convey the experiences of the families. The addition of details such as frost on the gas canisters as the balloon further ascends and the use of tension through sequences involving family members struggling to keep the balloon afloat also help to increase the effectiveness of these scenes.
The only weak points of Balloon are the occasional tendency to resort to stylistic and narrative cliches when neither are necessary. The two most egregious examples are the use of a “fake out” dream sequence to create unnecessary tension during the Strelzyk family’s time in East Berlin and a romantic subplot between the older Strelzyk’s son and the Stasi neighbour’s daughter, which only serves to create prolonging tension between the character and his father and potentially place the family in further jeopardy.
Despite these misgivings, Balloon serves as a solidly gripping account of an unlikely journey to freedom that engages the audience throughout.