Balloon

"One of the most daring escapes of the Cold War."

2018 2h 5m DE

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 500

ThrillerDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two families attempt a daredevil plan to escape the GDR with a homemade hot air balloon, but it crashes just before the border. The Stasi finds traces of this attempt to escape and immediately starts investigations, while the two families are forced to build a new escape balloon. With each passing day the Stasi is closer on their heels – a nerve-wracking race against time begins.

“One of the most daring escapes of the Cold War.”

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Cast

Karoline Schuch
Doris Strelzyk
Friedrich Mücke
Peter Strelzyk
Alicia von Rittberg
Petra Wetzel
David Kross
Günter Wetzel
Jonas Holdenrieder
Frank Strelzyk
Tilman Döbler
Andreas 'Fitscher' Strelzyk
Thomas Kretschmann
Lieutenant Colonel Seidel
Ronald Kukulies
Erik Baumann

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Herbig
Writers: Thilo Röscheisen, Kit Hopkins, Michael Herbig
Languages: English, German
Countries: France, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Herbig, shot by Torsten Breuer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ralf Wengenmayr. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alexander Dittner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Karoline Schuch and Friedrich Mücke and Alicia von Rittberg carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One of the most daring escapes of the Cold War.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Herbig directs. Torsten Breuer behind the camera. Ralf Wengenmayr scores. Alexander Dittner cuts. Produced in France, Germany. Dialogue in English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 8 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.
4Directed by Michael Herbig, shot by Torsten Breuer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ralf Wengenmayr. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Alexander Dittner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Karoline Schuch and Friedrich Mücke and Alicia von Rittberg carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "One of the most daring escapes of the Cold War.".
9IMDB entry: tt7125774 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "berlin wall", "german democratic republic", "stasi", "border patrol".
11Released under 16 different titles around the world.