Movie

Balloon

“One of the most daring escapes of the Cold War.”

★ 7.5(479)20182h 5m

Balloon is available to rent or buy on Apple TV Store, Canal VOD, Orange VOD, Rakuten TV, Sooner, Amazon Video, VIVA by videofutur, Premiere Max and ARTE Boutique in France. It isn't on a subscription streaming service there yet. Availability checked 17 June 2026.

Where to watch Balloon

🇫🇷 France

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Good to know

Director: Michael Herbig
Release date: 2018-09-27
Runtime: 2h 5m
Language: English
Box office: $11,859,396
Status: Released
Country: France
Studio: Sat.1

Balloon — trailer

About Balloon

Balloon is a 2018 movie in the Thriller, Drama and History genres, directed by Michael Herbig, starring Karoline Schuch, Friedrich Mücke and Alicia von Rittberg. It has a runtime of 2 hours 5 minutes. It holds an average rating of 7.5/10 from 479 viewers. Below you can see where to watch Balloon in France — across streaming, rental and purchase options — along with the full cast, trailer and viewer reviews.

Synopsis

Two families attempt a daredevil plan to escape the GDR with a homemade hot air balloon, but it crashes just before the border. The Stasi finds traces of this attempt to escape and immediately starts investigations, while the two families are forced to build a new escape balloon. With each passing day the Stasi is closer on their heels – a nerve-wracking race against time begins.

Cast

Karoline Schuch

Doris Strelzyk

Friedrich Mücke

Peter Strelzyk

Alicia von Rittberg

Petra Wetzel

David Kross

Günter Wetzel

Jonas Holdenrieder

Frank Strelzyk

Tilman Döbler

Andreas 'Fitscher' Strelzyk

Thomas Kretschmann

Lieutenant Colonel Seidel

Ronald Kukulies

Erik Baumann

Emily Kusche

Klara Baumann

Ulrich Brandhoff

Lieutenant Colonel Tornow

Sebastian Hülk

Senior Sergeant Lesch

Kai Ivo Baulitz

Lieutenant Strehle

Themes & keywords

berlin wallgerman democratic republicstasiborder patrolgerman-german borderhot air balloonbased on true storyescape from german democratic republic east germanyescape plansuspenseful

Frequently asked questions

Where can I watch Balloon in France?+

In France, Balloon is available to rent or buy on Apple TV Store, Canal VOD, Orange VOD, Rakuten TV, Sooner, Amazon Video, VIVA by videofutur, Premiere Max and ARTE Boutique. It isn't on a subscription streaming service there right now.

Is Balloon on Netflix?+

Balloon is not on Netflix in France right now.

How long is Balloon?+

Balloon has a runtime of 2 hours 5 minutes (125 minutes).

Who stars in Balloon?+

Balloon stars Karoline Schuch, Friedrich Mücke, Alicia von Rittberg, David Kross and Jonas Holdenrieder.

When did Balloon come out?+

Balloon is a 2018 movie directed by Michael Herbig.

What genre is Balloon?+

Balloon is Thriller, Drama and History film.

Who directed Balloon?+

Balloon was directed by Michael Herbig.