Balloon

Two families attempt to escape across the East German border during the Cold War in a hot air balloon in this German true story drama-thriller.

"The summer of 1979. Families Strelzyk and Wetzel want to escape Eastern Germany and delve into the freedom of the West. The two families have forged a daring plan: in a self-constructed hot air balloon, they want to fly across the border at night. When finally the weather conditions are ideal, they are ready to set off; however quite a few things go wrong and the balloon crashes just before it reaches the West German border. The Stasi find traces of the attempted escape and immediately begin an investigation, leaving the two families to build a new balloon under immense time pressure. As the Stasi close in with each passing day, a nerve-wracking race against time begins." (Zurich Film Festival)