BALLOON (QI QIU) World Cinema

Shepard Dargye and his wife, Drolkar, live a simple life with their sons and Dargye’s father on the family farm in rural Tibet. With government quotas on family size recently imposed, Drolkar visits the health clinic for condoms (which are later mistaken for balloons by her mischievous boys). Meanwhile, Drolkar’s sister bumps into her former boyfriend. Now a Buddhist nun after the broken relationship, she learns he has published a fictional account of their love affair. When a death in the family occurs, the women must make decisions as faith and political realities collide.

Seasoned filmmaker Pema Tseden crafts a delicate and beautiful story of free will and duty. Premiering at Venice and Toronto, BALLOON explores the complexities between reality and soul with a loving and mystical touch. –Sarah Harris