This represents one of the rare occasions during which Hou Hsiao-hsien worked outside of the Chinese languages and indeed should be the only non-Asian film he ever made. It feels like a gimmick that shouldn’t work given that Hou doesn’t speak French and the French actors all don’t speak Chinese. Yet it does and the result is a wonderful view of the daily life of a Parisian family seen from the perspective of an outsider. I’ve never watched the 1956 film that serves as the inspiration but the references are obvious enough. I’m even more impressed that Hou manages to work in connections to Chinese culture that really are enriching and meaningful.

A young boy Simon entreats a floating red balloon to come home with him on the streets of Paris and it intermittently appears to do so. His mother Suzanne, a puppeteer and voice actress, meets with Song, a film student from China. She hires Song to help her babysit Simon as she is busy with her artistic projects, in particular a puppet play adapted from an ancient Chinese text. Song dutifully learns the daily routines of the family and the layout of their Parisian apartment. As such, she becomes a passive witness to the events in Suzanne’s life. In particular, Simon’s father Pierre has gone to Canada, ostensibly to write a novel, but over the course of the film it becomes evident that he isn’t coming back. Suzanne is frustrated with her downstairs tenant Marc, who was originally invited as a friend of Pierre but now isn’t paying rent. Despite these problems and the disorganization in her life from not having her partner supporting her, Suzanne maintains a friendly relationship with Song and clearly loves Simon and wants the best for him.

This isn’t considered among Hou’s best work and certainly nothing particularly dramatic or impactful ever happens. As someone who still feels some cultural affinity for France however, I found this to be absolutely riveting as it offers a satisfying look into the mundane lives that take past behind the doors of the apartments of Paris. As my wife notes, Suzanne is an artistic type so she’s hardly a run-of-the-mill Parisian but she’s representative enough. Having this being nominally from the perspective of Song is valuable too as her hesitance about what counts as being normal is also our own. When Marc asks to use Suzanne’s kitchen to cook for his dinner guests, Song feels compelled to call Suzanne for confirmation. It takes her a moment to understand too when Simon explains his unusual relationship with his half-sister Louise. Then there’s the whimsical flight of the red balloon itself which helps capture the sense that we are in Paris, with its famous buildings, streets and monuments. The French may take it for granted, but to us it feels almost magical to see a group of little schoolchildren being taught to appreciate fine art in the Musée d’Orsay.

Small and cluttered as their apartment is, and despite Suzanne’s money troubles while claiming that it isn’t about the money, their lifestyle appears remarkably and casually affluent to someone who doesn’t live in a rich Western country. Simon for example gets to have a cake dessert from his favorite boulangerie every day, a nanny, a personal piano tutor and of course the piano gets tuned professionally. Then there is the cultural confidence on display as Suzanne does silly-sounding voices for a Chinese puppet play in a completely serious context. Plus of course she can seemingly make a good enough living pursuing this niche interest to afford this kind of lifestyle for Simon. I can’t say for sure that Hou is pointedly making these sorts of observations through Song but it sure seems like it to me. That’s what makes this depiction of seemingly mundane life in Paris so special to me.

It goes without saying that this is a superlative film in all other respects. The apartment, filled with the random detritus of life, feels like a real place people live in instead of some staged showcase. The acting is superb with Juliette Binoche being even better than usual. Hou is even wise enough not to play up Simon being too adorable. It may be the kind of film in which nothing much happens but it proves how much you can achieve just by showing life as it happens.