Balloon

Name: Balloon
Genre: Thriller, Drama, History
Released: 2018-09-27
Duration: 2 h 5 min
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Karoline Schuch, Friedrich Mücke, Alicia von Rittberg, David Kross, Jonas Holdenrieder

2018·Movie·125 min·★ 7.5(479)

Thriller DramaHistory

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

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.

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Where to watch Balloon in United States

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Click a service to open Balloon there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is Balloon streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Kanopy, Fawesome, The Roku Channel, Fandango at Home Free	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video
Canada	Tele Quebec, Cineverse	—
Australia	SBS On Demand	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Germany	Joyn Plus, Superfresh Amazon Channel, BATTLEZONE Amazon Channel, Netzkino Select Amazon Channel	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
France	—	Apple TV Store, Canal VOD, Orange VOD
Spain	Filmin, rtve, Rakuten TV	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video
Japan	kino films+ Amazon Channel	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies

About Balloon

Balloon is a 2018 German-language thriller, drama and history film directed by Michael Herbig. The cast is led by Karoline Schuch, Friedrich Mücke, Alicia von Rittberg. It has a runtime of 2h 5m. Viewers rate it 7.5/10 across 500 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Kanopy, Fawesome, The Roku Channel.

Balloon was produced by Sat.1, SevenPictures Film, and StudioCanal and made in France and Germany. It was released on September 27, 2018. At the box office it grossed around $12 million worldwide.

Director: Michael Herbig
Writers: Kit Hopkins, Thilo Röscheisen, Michael Herbig
Release date: September 27, 2018
Original language: German
Status: Released
Country: France, Germany
Box office: $12 million
Production: Sat.1, SevenPictures Film, StudioCanal

#berlin wall#german democratic republic#stasi#border patrol#german-german border#hot air balloon#based on true story#escape from german democratic republic #east germany#escape plan#suspenseful

Balloon cast & crew

Balloon was directed by Michael Herbig and written by Kit Hopkins, Thilo Röscheisen, and Michael Herbig.

The cast features Karoline Schuch as Doris Strelzyk, Friedrich Mücke as Peter Strelzyk, Alicia von Rittberg as Petra Wetzel, David Kross as Günter Wetzel, Jonas Holdenrieder as Frank Strelzyk, and Tilman Döbler as Andreas 'Fitscher' Strelzyk.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Ralf Wengenmayr, cinematography is by Torsten Breuer, and it was produced by Michael Herbig.

Is Balloon worth watching?

Balloon holds an audience score of 7.5/10 from 479 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed thriller films.

At 2h 5m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy thriller, drama, and history, Balloon is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Balloon

In United States, you can stream Balloon on Kanopy, Fawesome, The Roku Channel, Fandango at Home Free, and Plex, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.