Black Balloon Critique - Movie Review Example

Black balloon Name Institution Course Date Introduction The Black Balloon was an Australian movie centered on a military family called the Mollisons. The movie was based on personal experience of its director, Elissa Down, who had also grown up in a family with two autistic brothers. The intention of the movie was to sensitize the society about daily experiences that families with autistic children are forced to endure. The Mollison family had a first-born son called Charlie, who was suffering from autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD). Thomas was their second born son who was forced to endure various kinds of abnormal and embarrassing behaviors from his older brother Charlie. Thomas wanted to enjoy a normal adolescent life; however, his autistic brother thwarted his every opportunity. Thomas always wished that he would wake up to find his brother normal because he appeared to be the main hindrance to his enjoyment and experience of life just like other adolescents in that society. Thomas met a girl named Jackie who helped to give him a glimmer of hope. Initially, when Thomas met Jackie, he futilely tried to hide Charlie from her sight. Thomas was ashamed of Charlie because of his weird behavior and the fact that he attended school for the disabled. Surprisingly, when Jackie met him for the first time, she was very kind to him as she struggled to engage in his personal life. She did not exhibit any abnormal reaction towards Charlie’s disability. Jackie appeared to understand Charlie’s situation and she asked Thomas to let him accompany them. Jackie’s action and her demonstration towards accepting Charlie helped Thomas to accept his brother. It was as if Jackie was an angel, who came to help Thomas understand the disability of his brother and improve his level of patience, as he tried to cope with his behavior. Thomas was made to accept his brother Charlie and engage him in his daily activities because Jackie proved that she did not mind his bad behavior. Apart from helping Thomas to accept his brother, Jackie was also instrumental in improving his social rating in school. At first, when the family moved to a new location, Thomas experienced huge challenges coping with the new environment. He was unable to communicate effectively with other students. In addition, he faced difficulties in learning how to swim, and he ended up being labeled by other students. Students in the new learning institution were more interested in beautiful girls, especially Jackie. Therefore, when Thomas met with Jackie, his relationship with his swimming classmates improved notably. Other students admired the fact that Jackie and Thomas had developed a good relationship and that Thomas’s swimming skills had improved significantly. Jackie, unlike other beautiful girls in the institution, appeared wiser. Her wisdom was noted when she advised Thomas to stop whining about his brother’s condition and behavior because it could alter nothing. Jackie liked the Mollison family because they were kind and accepted her as their child’s girlfriend. She develops a good relationship with the entire family because they perceived that she was one of them, rather than considering her as a stranger. The family begun to engage her in almost every aspect of their life, such as, playing, having fun, washing dishes, and making jokes, and because of that, Jackie felt that she was part of the family and that no barriers existed between them. The relationship between Jackie and Thomas grew stronger when they were in the army bush land. They had a chance to explore their adolescent behavior to the fullest, like going to restricted area to play. Jackie and Thomas became psychologically connected, such that their thinking became similar. For instance, when they were under the shad, they explained to each other how their lives appeared fuzzy. Their attachment came to a limit when Charlie’s behavior could not cause them any problem. Thomas was able to overcome all the challenges that he encountered as he tried to understand his brother and cope with his behavior with the support that he received from Jackie. Psychological development aspects of Thomas As Thomas grew up as an adolescent, he wished to behave like other adolescents in the community. However, his attempt to behave like others in the community was hampered by actions of his autistic brother, Charlie. Thomas was forced to move into a new environment following his father’s military career in Australia. He experienced great challenges in finding new friends because of his poor communication skills and poor performance in learning how to swim. In his family life, Thomas faced immense difficulties because his mother always held him responsible for his brother’s actions. As a teenager, Thomas had to endure a life with exceptional problems that emanated from his older brother who was autistic with ADD. Thomas was unable to enjoy his normal adolescent life because he grew tired of having to deal with all the problems that surrounded him. While in school, he tried as a much as he could to hide the fact that his brother was autistic because he wanted to avoid prejudice and being labeled. Relation between his development aspects and health issues Charlie’s autism heavily influenced Thomas’s development as a child and during teenage stage. Understanding the extent to which Thomas had to endure living with an autistic brother can be made by considering autism. Ideally, autism is a pervasive developmental disorder, which is not associated with any biological cause. It is a lifelong developmental disability typified by notable challenges in social interaction, sensory sensitivities, interests and behaviors, and impaired communication. For many people, autism is a disabling condition presenting fundamental challenges to affected individuals, their friends, and family (Dekker & Sibai 2001, p. 210). Research shows that in 2003, the prevalence of autism rose to approximately 3 to 4 times in males than females (Bromfield & Higgins 2006, p. 8). Studies show that for every 10,000 people, there are four to five persons with autistic condition. After 2003, the percentage of individuals with autism was believed to have increased to 10 to 12 percent per 10000 people. In 2009, research conducted by SDAC showed that 64,600 Australians were autistic (Brigg 2009, p. 1). Between 2003 and 2009, the number of autistic people in Australia increased by 34,200. From research that has been conducted, autism is mainly associated with males than females. In 2009, SDAC reported that only 18 percent of females made up Australia’s Autistic population. The results have been consistent with those released in other countries. For instance, in the United States, prevalence of autism in women is believed to be between 17 and 20 percent. Some autistic people also experience psychological disturbance associated with speech problems and inability to share their mental experience with others (Harris & Vardaxis 2009, p.14). Such situation was clearly brought out in the movie Black Balloon. Charlie was autistic and experienced challenges in conveying information concerning himself. The circumstance appeared to have disconnected him with the entire society, including Thomas his brother. Development of Thomas during his childhood and adolescent stages were heavily impacted by Charlie’s condition. In many occasions, he wished to experience life differently, but because of his brother’s condition, he was forced to sacrifice. Instead of living a life that he desired, Thomas was forced to abandon his desires and cope with his brother’s behavior, which was mostly embarrassing. Research and literature Lifespan development theory Lifespan development theory was developed by Erik Erikson in an attempt to illuminate on human developmental stages. According to Erik’s theory, individuals have to go through eight developmental stages (Newman & Newman 2003, P. 27). In each of the stages, they go through various psychosocial issues or crisis. Individuals have to face and cope with different issues, and in the event react to the situations leading to poor or good outcomes (Slater 2003, P.57). The psychosocial issues could be influenced by the individual’s history or surrounding environment. From the movie, Thomas was in his adolescent stage at 15 years. It is vastly known that during that stage, individuals experience immense development in their bodies. Adolescence is a stage where individuals experience changes not because of changes in their ages. The physical alterations that occur on individuals during this stage affect their emotional and social functions. That was the reason why Thomas fought hard to gain approval from his peers from the new school. He did not want any of negativities associated with his brother Charlie to stand on his way. Research shows that all physical changes experienced by individuals during puberty stage are intertwined with psychological functions. In regards to social and emotional development during adolescent stage, Erikson posited that those developments were a series of issues that every individual had to comprehend to sustain his or her development path (Mounts 2002, P. 58). According to Erikson, adolescent stage is a developmental stage where one constructs an individual identity. Adolescent stage is when there is a sharp conflict between role diffusion and identity creation. Because of that, if teenagers fail to create an intelligible sense of self, they risk suffering lack of identity as they grow into adulthood (Altiere & Kludge 2009, p. 142). Some other theorists, such as Noam, disputed the fact that adolescence is mostly associated with identity creation (Guerin & Guerin 2009, 3). According to them, adolescence was more linked with development of group consistency. All the theorists appeared to point out the numerous attributes of teenagers, but from different perspectives. The aspect of identity creation was notable in Thomas as he struggled to understand his brother and behave responsibly. On the other hand, he wished to gain approval from peers in school by learning how to swim and developing good friendship with Jackie, who was highly rated by boys in his new school. In that respect, Thomas was also engaged in development of group consistency because he wished to be like his colleagues. In his explanation, Noam stated that during development of group consistency, teenagers exhibit psychology of belonging (Gill & Liamputtong 2009, 311). During their middle school, the notable focus on popularity is normal and found within the range of the development stage. During the early adolescent stage, individuals are seen to identity with certain group values. Nevertheless, in later stages of adolescent stage, the individuals demonstrate an ability to select characteristics from various groups and select those that are professed as relevant to one’s own behavior (Styne & Grumbach 2002, P. 661). Theories of development tend to indicate that adolescents are highly susceptible to peer-pressures (Peterson 2002, P. 163). In that respect, they are more likely to identity with a group that exhibits more pressure (Lauran 2001, P. 5). The theories of developmental stages seem to hold true for Thomas’s case. At first, he could reject his autistic brother because his behavior would lead to disapproval from his peers. However, when he met Jackie, she became a notable influence to him. As Thomas developed, he learnt to cope with his brother’s condition by picking characteristics that would enable him to fit among his other colleagues and still handle his brother’s situation. The theories also hold that adolescents are strongly influenced by values and attitudes passed down from parents (Foust & Booker 2007, p. 16). Thomas’s mother always reiterated that Thomas should help his brother Charlie. During one time, Thomas and his mother were engaged in an argument because Thomas had been blamed for not helping him. In the event, Thomas said that he did not want anything to do with Charlie, and he ended up being slapped by the mother. His mother was just trying to instill good values and attitudes to him that could help him to stand by his brother in any situation, even if it was extremely embarrassing. In the end, Thomas became comfortable having his brother around him even in public places. He was able to sieve what other people could say about his brother and consider only the positive end. As time went by, Thomas could not care anymore what other people said about his brother. How health issues affected development of Thomas Stress Stress refers to situation where someone experiences displeasure or inability to attain specific goals or objectives (Ann & Cooney 2006, p. 89). In the movie, there were numerous stressful situations that Thomas was forced to endure because of the health condition of his brother. Thomas love for his brother Charlie was increasingly compromised by his embarrassing acts. Thomas was stressed by a number of things including inability to associate well with other students in the new school, poor performance in swimming classes, being labeled in school following his poor performance, and his embarrassing responsibility of taking care of his brother (McDonald 2011, P. 98). Every day, Thomas was left worrying about what Charlie could do next. He was never comfortable, especially when he was out with Charlie because he knew that he could end up doing extremely embarrassing things. For instance, when they were in a supermarket, Charlie flopped onto the floor and began bellowing when he was requested by Simon to return some items to the shelves. Charlie was finally dragged out of the store while screaming, prompting one of the angry neighbors to call child service to the Mollison’s home. Thomas tried as much as he could to live normally like other teenagers of his age. However, his attempts were made futile by Charlie’s actions. In many instances, he was forced to abandon his plans and desires for the sake of his brother. For every negative action that Charlie was involved, it was always Thomas’s fault. In one of the most repellant scenes from the movie, Charlie was found in his room smearing his stool over his body and on the carpet. In that situation, Thomas was expected to clean up the mess. Thomas grew stressed up when he discovered that he had been trapped by his brother’s disability. If Jackie had not come to rescue Thomas from his stressful situation, he might have possibly fallen sick. Research shows that psychological stress can result in diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and clinical depression. Coping with the situation Coping refers to a repertoire of behavioral and cognitive responses employed by an individual in an attempt to counter a stressful situation (Dubeski 2001, p. 76). Coping strategies can be either problem focus or emotional focus (Curtis 2012, p. 9). In the movie, Thomas was able to develop exceptional coping strategies with the help of Jackie. Even though she had experienced personal problems with her family, she tried as much as she could to assist Thomas cope with stress emanating from his brother’s health issue (Sicile-Kira 2006, P. 14). Thomas and Jackie were both teenagers who shared their emotions, and thus, it was easier for them to formulate a strategy for coping with Charlie’s condition. Jackie was emotionally concentrated on Thomas, and she was able to help him to alter his thought towards his brother. Before Jackie came into the life of Thomas, he had always avoided Charlie, especially in public places. Nonetheless, after meeting with Jackie, he was able to handle his stressors by disregarding what others said about his brother. He became comfortable having him everywhere, including public places where he had always wished not to have Charlie with him (Lin, Tsai & Chang 2008, P. 20). At first, Thomas thought that Charlie would spoil his intentions of making friends with Jackie. However, after Jackie met with Charlie, he discovered that she was different and that she understood the situation. In fact, Jackie was more comfortable having Charlie around her that she demanded that he accompany them during certain occasions. The stressful feeling that Thomas used to experience about being trapped by his brother’s disability soon faded away and he was able to enjoy his time with his elder brother. Conclusion In conclusion, the movie Black Balloon was intended to convey a message to sensitize the public on how families with autistic children experience mercy. Ideally, it was meant to rebuke members of the public whose role was just to speak out negative things concerning people who are disabled in the community. ‘Would you be able to cope?’ is a silent question that underlies the theme of the movie. As audience watch, they cannot help, but sympathize with Thomas situation, who was forced to clean up every mess that Charlie does. Thomas was forced to struggle during his teenage life as he tried to balance his responsibility of taking care of his brother with his desire to be like his peers (Gray 2006, p. 970). Because of Charlie’s behavior, Thomas was forced to endure different challenging situations. In fact, in some instances, he sharply disagreed with his mother concerning Charlie’s behavior. While Thomas struggled to understand his brother, his teenage life appeared to have been negatively influenced. Nonetheless, he was able to develop excellent coping strategies that enabled him to handle the situation comfortably. When Jackie came into his life, she brought a glimmer of hope because she helped him to gain social approval while helping him to understand and stay by his brother Charlie. Without Jackie’s input, Thomas could have found it almost impossible to accept his father and gain confidence in having him in public places. Despite the challenges that Thomas faced during his teenage life, he was able to overcome and prove that he could gain acceptance and love from his peers. References Altiere, M & Kludge, S 2009, ‘Searching for acceptance: Challenges encountered while raising a child with autism’, Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 142-152. Ann, J & Cooney, T 2006, ‘Psychological wellbeing in mid to late life: The role of generativity development and parent-child relationships across the lifespan’, International Journal of behavioral development, vol. 30, no. 5, viewed 5 May 2011, (online SAGE Journals online). Brigg, J 2009, ‘The Approach to the Education of Students with Autism in Australia’, Australasian Journal of Special Education, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 1-5. Bromfield, L & Higgins, D 2006, National Comparison of child protection systems, Australian Institute of family Studies, Melbourne, 2 May 2011, http://www.aifs.gov.au Curtis, S 2012, ‘Promoting health through a developmental analysis of adolescent risk behavior.’, Journal of School Health, vol.  62, no. 9, viewed 10 May 2011, (online  Expanded Academic ASAP). Dekker,G & Sibai, B 2001, ‘ Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of pre-eclampsia’, The Lancet, vol.357, 20 January, pp.209-215 Dubeski N, 2001, ‘Durkheim's Altruism As The Source Of His Social Holism: A Discussion Of The Viability Of A Social Basis For Moral Principles’, Sociological Organization, viewed 3 May 2011, http://www.sociology.org/content/vol005.003/dubeski.html Foust, RC & Booker, K 2007, “ The social cognition of gifted adolescents’, Roeper Review, vol. 29, no. 5, viewed 6 May 2011, (online  Expanded Academic ASAP). Gray, D 2006, ‘Coping over time: the parents of children with autism’, Journal of intellectual Disability Research, volume 50, part 12, December, pp 970-976. Gill, J & Liamputtong, P 2009, ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’: Researching the lived experience of mothers of children with autism’, Journal of Family Studies, pp. 309-319, vol. 15, no. 3. Guerin, P & Guerin, B 2009, ‘Lifespan: middle and later years (adulthood to aging)’ in Psychology for health professionals, ed. P Barkway, Elsevier Australia, Chatswood, NSW. Harris, P & Vardaxis, N 2009, Mosby’s Dictionary of medicine, nursing & health professionals, 2nd edn, Elsevier Australia, Chatswood, NSW. Lauran, N 2001,’More pregnant women battle pre-eclampsia as researchers home in on the cause’, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 March, p.5. Lin, CR Tsai YF & Chang, HL 2008, ‘Coping mechanisms of parents of children recently diagnosed with autism in Taiwan: a qualitative study’, Journal of Clinical Nursing, pp. vol. 17, no. 20. McDonald, M 2011, “What role can child and family services play in enhancing opportunities for parents and families: Exploring the concepts of social exclusion and social inclusion”, Australian Institute of family studies, Melbourne, Victoria, viewed 9 May 2011. http://www.aifs.org.au Mounts, NS 2002, parental management of adolescent peer relationship in context: The role of parenting style, Journal of Family Psychology, 16, 58-59 Newman, MB & Newman, RP 2003, Development through life, 8th edn, Thomason Wadsworth, New York, U.S. Peterson, B 2002, ‘Longitudinal Analysis of Midlife Generativity, Intergenerational Roles, and Care giving, Vol 17, no 1, pp 161-168. Slater, C 2003, ‘Generativity Versus Stagnation’: An elaboration of Erikson’s adult stage of human development, Vol 10, no 1, January, pp. 53-65. Sicile-Kira, C 2006, Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum, Vermilion, London Styne, D, & Grumbach, M 2002, ‘The Relationship between Family and Sibling Functioning in Families: Raising a Child with a Disability’, Hormones, Brain and Behavior, vol.33, no.1, p.661, (online CINAHL) Read More

Jackie liked the Mollison family because they were kind and accepted her as their child’s girlfriend. She develops a good relationship with the entire family because they perceived that she was one of them, rather than considering her as a stranger. The family begun to engage her in almost every aspect of their life, such as, playing, having fun, washing dishes, and making jokes, and because of that, Jackie felt that she was part of the family and that no barriers existed between them. The relationship between Jackie and Thomas grew stronger when they were in the army bush land.

They had a chance to explore their adolescent behavior to the fullest, like going to restricted area to play. Jackie and Thomas became psychologically connected, such that their thinking became similar. For instance, when they were under the shad, they explained to each other how their lives appeared fuzzy. Their attachment came to a limit when Charlie’s behavior could not cause them any problem. Thomas was able to overcome all the challenges that he encountered as he tried to understand his brother and cope with his behavior with the support that he received from Jackie.

Psychological development aspects of Thomas As Thomas grew up as an adolescent, he wished to behave like other adolescents in the community. However, his attempt to behave like others in the community was hampered by actions of his autistic brother, Charlie. Thomas was forced to move into a new environment following his father’s military career in Australia. He experienced great challenges in finding new friends because of his poor communication skills and poor performance in learning how to swim.

In his family life, Thomas faced immense difficulties because his mother always held him responsible for his brother’s actions. As a teenager, Thomas had to endure a life with exceptional problems that emanated from his older brother who was autistic with ADD. Thomas was unable to enjoy his normal adolescent life because he grew tired of having to deal with all the problems that surrounded him. While in school, he tried as a much as he could to hide the fact that his brother was autistic because he wanted to avoid prejudice and being labeled.

Relation between his development aspects and health issues Charlie’s autism heavily influenced Thomas’s development as a child and during teenage stage. Understanding the extent to which Thomas had to endure living with an autistic brother can be made by considering autism. Ideally, autism is a pervasive developmental disorder, which is not associated with any biological cause. It is a lifelong developmental disability typified by notable challenges in social interaction, sensory sensitivities, interests and behaviors, and impaired communication.

For many people, autism is a disabling condition presenting fundamental challenges to affected individuals, their friends, and family (Dekker & Sibai 2001, p. 210). Research shows that in 2003, the prevalence of autism rose to approximately 3 to 4 times in males than females (Bromfield & Higgins 2006, p. 8). Studies show that for every 10,000 people, there are four to five persons with autistic condition. After 2003, the percentage of individuals with autism was believed to have increased to 10 to 12 percent per 10000 people.

In 2009, research conducted by SDAC showed that 64,600 Australians were autistic (Brigg 2009, p. 1). Between 2003 and 2009, the number of autistic people in Australia increased by 34,200. From research that has been conducted, autism is mainly associated with males than females. In 2009, SDAC reported that only 18 percent of females made up Australia’s Autistic population. The results have been consistent with those released in other countries. For instance, in the United States, prevalence of autism in women is believed to be between 17 and 20 percent.

Some autistic people also experience psychological disturbance associated with speech problems and inability to share their mental experience with others (Harris & Vardaxis 2009, p.14).

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