The Man with the Balloons
Marco Ferreri: Beyond the Absurd
June 9 - 21, 2023
One evening, a successful industrial manager (Marcello Mastroianni) finds himself asking: How much air can a balloon contain? He will seek the answer through the night as this odd question grows into a desperate and increasingly metaphysical quest.
One evening, a young, elegant, and successful industrial manager finds himself looking for a precise piece of information: How much air can a balloon contain? He will seek the answer through the night, as this apparently odd question becomes a desperate quest that reaches an unexpected metaphysical level. An enigmatic and tragic film, The Man with the Balloons is the virtuoso depiction of a sudden fall into the absurdity of life. Mutilated by producer Carlo Ponti, it was released as a short in 1965 under the title Break Up. Some parts of the film were then re-shot by Ferreri in color with the help of a small crew. This is the most unfairly overlooked film by Ferreri, starring a flamboyant Marcello Mastroianni at his best.
For $30, receive one ticket to a film in Marco Ferreri: Beyond the Absurd and a select menu item at Café Paradiso, located in FLC’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. Learn more about our dinner and a movie combo here.
Read More
Rose of Nevada Director Mark Jenkin on His New Sci-Fi Tinged Tale
On the latest episode of FLC Luminaries, our video series that spotlights talent at all levels of the filmmaking process who uplift the art and craft of cinema, Rose of Nevada director Mark Jenkin discusses his sci-fi-tinged tale of dislocation and regeneration.
Kamal Aljafari on With Hasan in Gaza and ‘The Camera of the Dispossessed’
Our 63rd New York Film Festival Talks featured a special conversation with With Hasan in Gaza director Kamal Aljafari, moderated by Film Comment editor Devika Girish.
Lucrecia Martel on Our Land (Nuestra Tierra), the Filmmaker’s First Feature Documentary
On the latest episode of FLC Luminaries, our video series that spotlights talent at all levels of the filmmaking process who uplift the art and craft of cinema, Our Land (Nuestra Tierra) director Lucrecia Martel discusses her expansive and enlightening first feature documentary.
