Both a gorgeously intimate family drama and an idiosyncratic artistic statement flecked with humour and sorrow, but alive always to the co-existence of the banal with the spiritual. In a way, the very act of making a film about daily life in Tibet is in itself political. 'Balloon' deserves credit for making a quiet but meaningful plea for greater ethnic equality.

With its cool colour palette, attentive handheld camerawork, and painterly passages that seem to transpire somewhere between this world and the next, director Pema Tseden approaches the weighty themes with a sense of wonder and features scene stealing performances from the two young boys.