6 Balloons review: A harrowing look into drug addiction
By Matt Conway
6 Balloons may be rough around the edges, but the film’s uncompromising depiction of addiction will leave a lingering impact.
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Comedic actors taking a detour into dramatic material is always a mixed bag. Talents like Adam Sandler, Steve Carell, and the late Robin Williams have been able to prove their dramatic chops over the years, but the fact is most comedic actors rarely get a chance to bite into deeper material.
Netflix’s latest feature 6 Balloons doubles up on comedic actors in dramatic roles. The film follows Katie (Abbi Jacobson), who while picking up her brother Seth (Dave Franco) realizes he has relapsed on heroine. They embark on a life-or-death mission to get Seth to detox.
6 Balloons greatest strength lies in its performances, as both stars of the film successfully make the leap to dramatic material. Dave Franco leaves the biggest impact, with his uncompromising performance as Seth showing a man sinking into the depths of despair.
There’s nothing about the performance that feels showy, with Franco finding the right note to hit between intense and naturalistic. Abbi Jacobson’s understated performance also hits the mark in her portrayal of Katie, a woman who is trying desperately to keep her life together.
First time writer and director Marja-Lewis Ryan does a lot right with her first feature. As a director, her intense shaky camera work creates an intimacy that benefits the performances greatly. Ryan also nails the balance of showing some tough imagery without ever making these moments gratuitous. As a writer, her approach to these characters and their relationship with addiction features proper nuance, especially with Katie’s character. The audience feels the complicated struggle of wanting to do what’s right for the one’s we love while trying not to enable their worst tendencies. Addiction is thankfully not painted as black-and-white, rather an uncompromising force that impacts everyone around it.
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That being said, 6 Balloons suffers where many other first features falter. Many of Ryan’s techniques as a writer and director, including narration and abstract imagery, unsuccessfully add to the film. These elements end up being far more played-out and contrived than Ryan truly intends. With a slight 74 minute running time, the film also feels at times more like an experiment and less so a full-fledge narrative, lacking the character depth to round out the material.
Complaints aside, 6 Balloons is a tough, yet rewarding watch, depicting substance abuse and those who witness it with sincerity and emotional weight. This is particularly a big win for Jacobson and Franco, with both actors proving they have the acting chops to be stars.