Interwoven lead and background vocals elevate the arrangement. It eventually floats away, heavenward, much like a (red) balloon.

The first thing to get out of the way about “The Flight of the Red Balloon” is that this is not an action movie. It’s not even an active movie. Events don’t occur in the usual cinematic ...

Flight of the Red Balloon: Drama. Starring Juliette Binoche, Simon Iteanu and Song Fang. Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien. In French with English subtitles. (Not rated. 113 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.