Dir. Pema Tseden
102 mins | 2019 | China
Chinese, Tibetan with English Subtitles
Sonam Wangmo, Jinpa, Yangshik Tso

SHOWING TIMES:

• Fri 8 Oct: 5.30pm
• Sat 9 Oct: 6pm*
• Tue 12 Oct: 10.45am + Breakfast Deal
• Tue 12 Oct: 5pm

*This is a Descriptive Subtitling screening, see details below.

Tibet, 1980s: Dargye and Drolkar’s two boisterous youngest sons have blown up their parents’ condoms like balloons. Not only does this outrage their entire shepherding village, but more practically: there are no more condoms. Already with three sons, and as China has recently introduced its one-child policy, the couple can’t have risk having any more.

BALLOON is the latest feature from acclaimed director Pema Tseden who combines documentary realism with heightened formal artistry and a hint of dry comedy to explore the impact of China’s one-child policy families. Moments of gentle humour and deep lyricism balances this challenging subject matter. Once China’s one-child policy was relaxed in 2015 – now permitting two children per family – space has opened up to examining the often profoundly traumatic consequences of this measure yet in Tseden’s world, there is no gap between modernity and tradition; rather, the two gently rub against each other.

FOR ALL SCREENINGS
Audio Description is available for this screening. This is a service for partially sighted or blind people. While the film’s main soundtrack plays through the cinema speakers, users can listen to a specially recorded narrator detailing what’s happening through a set of headphones.

FOR SAT SCREENING –
This is a Descriptive Subtitling screening, this is a service for our Deaf/deaf and hard of hearing customers that displays additional auditory information on the screen.

VENUE: STUDIO 74, EXETER PHOENIX

*Subject to a £1.50 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>