The Red Balloon (1956)

"The Red Balloon" is a 1956 film that shows the city of Paris from the perspective of a small child with a red balloon that magically comes to life. The first thing I immediately noticed while watching this film was how much the balloon stood out from the rest of the world shown in the movie. Paris is shown in very muted tones of brown, grey, and white, making the bright red balloon immediately pop out in any given shot. The fact that the balloon stands out so much causes trouble for the boy; he isn't allowed to take it onto the public bus, is scolded by the school principle and a guard at church, and is chased by older kids who want to pop the balloon. It makes you think about how frightening the city can be for a child who is walking alone. The buildings look enormous, the streets mazelike, the alleyways claustrophobic. Paris is made to look like a huge labyrinth, and the boy walks to and from school every day on his own in this labyrinth. It's hard not to wonder why his mother is absent for so much of the film, filling no other role on-screen other than meeting him at home at the end of the day and taking him to church. Instead, we see the boy getting help from random strangers, who let him walk under their umbrella or hold the balloon for him while he's in class. It's an interesting look at what the world is like to a lonely child.