Balloon

Introduced by guest programmer Shelly Kraicer

Dir. Pema Tseden. 2019, 103 mins. China. DCP. In Tibetan with English subtitles. With Sonam Wangmo, Jinpa, Yangshik Tso. The two little sons of virile Tibetan shepherd Dargye (Pema Tseden’s favorite actor, Jinpa) mistake their parents’ condoms for balloons. Their mother, Drolkar, puts up with her husband’s robust sex drive. Drolkar’s sister, the enigmatic nun Shangchu Drolma, visits while Dargye is looking for a ram to impregnate his flock of ewes.  When a family member suddenly dies, the urgent need to identify his reincarnation threatens to tear the family apart. Balloon is fascinated with ideas of potency, pregnancy, and the possibilities for female autonomy. DP Lü Songye’s spectacularly colorful compositions propel Pema Tseden’s vision in darker, unexpected directions. The dead, the reincarnated, and the living interweave while this family’s world, captured in semi-realist semi-hallucinatory style, slowly catches emotional fire. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). There is a $1.50 transaction fee per ticket for all online purchases. The cost of admission may be applied toward a same-day purchase of a membership. 

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