Remember Tom Cruise coping with the ups and downs of life with his brothers’ (Dustin Hoffman) disability in ‘Rain Man’. In Elissa Down’s feature, ‘The Black Balloon’, Rhys Wakefield has the Cruise type role with Luke Ford playing the Hoffman role.

Wakefield’s Thomas Mollison is a typically awkward and, in many ways selfish, sixteen year old adolescent trying to find his feet in school and life. His young life is not made easier with the difficulties he is having at home. There he has to cope with stressed out parents, his pregnant mum Maggie (Toni Collette) and his ocker businessman father Simon (Erik Thomson), and the draining behaviour of his severely autistic brother, Charlie.

‘The Black Balloon’ gets my thumbs up. I loved its grittiness. Down’s did not shoot the film through rose coloured lenses but with heart and authenticity. Clearly her own personal experiences growing up with two autistic brothers helped her in putting together the film.

The two main characters were drawn true to life. As much as Thomas loves Charlie, he gets embarrassed and upset at Charlie’s behaviour. As much as Charlie has his difficulties there is also a bit of him playing up to aggravate Thomas. Caught uncomfortably in the middle was Thomas’s girlfriend, Jackie Masters (Gemma Ward), who manages to cope positively with the friction between the brothers.

Rhys Wakefield gave a warm, focused performance as Thomas. Luke Ford convinced in a tough role as the hyper Cbarlie. Gemma Ward did not have all that much to do except look good and be wholesome. As the parents Toni Collette and Erik Thomson satisfied.

Cinematographer Denson Baker gave the film some lovely touches, including a magic shot of the two lovers embracing on a street at a night, with the camera coming down from above the streetlight,