Declan Maunder

The White Balloon tells the story of a young boy who comes across a white balloon while walking with his father in downtown St. John's, Newfoundland.

Conceived, written and shot in Newfoundland, this study in grief and adolescent longing is a sure sign of local filmmaker Adriana Magg's huge potential. The plot centers on Crystal Janes, a young girl with an odd relationship to her dead brother. Typically moody and self absorbed, Crystal is nonetheless sensitive and smart. Growing up is hard enough in average families, let alone one still working through its grief and guilt. A strong performance by Marthe Bernard as Crystal helps to anchor the story in a strong sense of realism, ghostly presences and all.

A dad spends nine months rocking his baby to sleep nightly to keep her from crying. In the process, he loses weight because he is doing exercises as he rocks the baby.