The Red Balloon
When the vacuum cleaner breaks down just when the cat decides to do a total winter coat replacement; when there’s no difference after the dentist crowns a cracked tooth that he targets as the cause of agony when I forget to add some hot water to my orange juice, or on a frosty morning, when I pass a fellow dog-walker, I open my mouth to say hello, instead of grunting; when a trillion school reports are due right in the middle of the VCE exams; and that moulting cat also goes on a kitty litter strike and deems the shower or any basin or sink a much better option for letting go – and the world in general spins horribly out of control – I either throw a hissy fit and/or revert to a tragic version of my earlier self, demanding all household members take part in a mammoth cleaning and tidying spree – quite tricky without the vacuum cleaner. Or I opt for a movie. And in this case it was The Flight of the Red Balloon , which was inspired by the original 1956 French short, The Red Ball