I think I'm going through a phase of loving this sort of film - the gritty, true-to-life and ultimately heart-warming Australian drama. That description sounds wearisome, but I assure you that when it's well scripted, acted and shot, it's a winner.

The Black Balloon certainly is. David gave it 4 1/2 stars and I'm on the verge of agreeing with him.

I absolutely loved this film. It's massively cute and massively funny. Very visually engaging too.

I don't normally like French films, and certainly not the ubiquitous friends-and-acquaintances-cynically-going-through-life-and-sleeping-with-each-other subgenre. But while the plot of this one was much the same, the characters were all richly drawn and convincingly acted - and that made all the difference. The intelligence of this film allowed it to be truly heart warming.

David gave it 4 1/2 stars. I wouldn't go that far, but I can see why he did. Brilliantly developed, complex characters; the most beautiful girl; a satisfyingly dissatisfying plot and moments of magic-realism that actually work. It's about Catholicism and illness and people.