Thursday at the Movies: Ballon

It was one of the most spectacular escapes from the GDR: In September 1979, two families used a self-built hot-air balloon to fly over the border and the death strip to flee to the west. After Hollywood has already turned the story into a movie, Michael Herbig is presenting his version: "Ballon" is about the secret preparations the Strelzyk and Wetzel families undertake and how they hold on to their daring plan even after a first attempt to escape goes all wrong and the Stasi are about to get onto them…. Herbig, usually known to be a comedy expert, shows his talent for dramatic topics in his newest film that is a mixture of thriller, character drama and nuanced portrait of society. Though not completely devoid of humour, "Ballon" stays very true to the actual events and takes a respectful approach to the real life characters. The cast is impressive too: Friedrich Mücke and Karoline Schuch play Peter and Doris Strelzyk, David Kross and Alicia von Rittberg Günter and Petra Wetzel. Thomas Kretschmann stars the Stasi officer who chases them. Thus, "Ballon" succeeds in walking the thin line between historically relevant drama and gripping entertainment.