This film elicits emotion immediately. From the perspective of the people, you see the white balloon. What is it doing? Why is it not moving? Why is it unmarked? Is it watching us? Humans fear what they do not understand, and we do not know what the balloon is doing. I was apprehensive. Johnson then tells us that it is classified information. We will not learn the answers through the course of the film.
Action shots of the town below, cars and people moving around, contrast with the stationary unmarked white balloon. Through the shifting of shots from action in the town to the balloon, Johnson seems to be telling us that the balloon sees all. If you are in town, you always see the balloon above. The sound intensifies, adding to this contrast. Here, I recognized a shot included in Cameraperson.
Different shots all include one thing that is the same: the balloon. It was always present, always knowing everything. It seemed like some kind of divine power. This analogy was confirmed when Johnson included the quote from the man in town, about how God is all powerful; “God sees everything. Be aware that He will find out everything.” It was striking when the man said that God created the man who created the balloon. The boy’s bright balloons added another dimension to the film as well. These were colorful, fun, and moving, unlike the blimp.
The shift to Maryland shocked me. The man said there were no cameras on board in the United States; this did not happen in Kabul. Maryland and the shot of the American flag made me angry; why did the blimp seem to imply safety more in Maryland than in Kabul? The shot of the blimp above the church implied it was higher than God.
Then, Johnson allowed the viewer to know that even when cameras are not on the blimp in Kabul, they fly it in order to control the behavior of the people.
The title ‘The Above’ perfectly suits this film. It is vaguely encompassing of some presence perpetually hovering.