Black Balloon

The Australians are the masters at laughing at themselves. This movie contains a certain amount of that sense of humor, but it is focused on a very serious topic. Charlie is a severely autistic teenager, one who cannot talk, who is behaviorally volatile, and whose family are coping with him largely without any help from state and local agencies. They move into a new neighborhood, and Charlie's younger brother Tom is left to deal with the teasing, the neighbors peering in, and the social consequences of having a severely disabled sibling. Into the mix comes a startlingly sensitive and intersting woman, a girl who likes that he is kind to his brother, and who is largely able to tolerate his behavioral outbursts. There are limits to this, and there is an emotionally charged scene where everyone loses it and is at their worst, but they manage to get past it and move forward. It is hopeful and gritty, a masterpiece of what it is like to manage a child like this at home.