The Air I Breathe - Die Macht des Schicksals

First of all, this film did have problems. There were a lot of flaws, and some of the coincidences seemed stupid and irrelevant, but it does not fail to show emotion. The emotions are all scattered. Not just one person can have one, and I think that is the point of the film. My first time seeing it, i thought it was just a GOOD film. After seeing it over three times, i can really say it is a very great film. The Acting is phenomenal, and Sarah Michelle Gellar gives her best performance to date. She really shows what she is capable of. She portrays the right signs of Sorrow. Andy Garcia was also great. The direction, from a first time director, was really amazing. The were a lot of beautiful scenes, great cinematography. It is a pleasure to watch. Some of the songs played, are kinda cheesy, but those songs go away fast. BUT the score is truly amazing. It totally captures the right feel that the film portrayed. The film should have been longer. It was only 90 minutes, it was very fast paced. They should have shown more screen time with Gellar and Bacon. The rushed feeling has a positive side to it. The film never gets boring. It grabs you completely(and for some people, that is what they want). Yes, the biggest problem is the screenplay, which at times seems silly, some of the dialogue, but the film also has powerful moments and some GREAT dialogue(sort of like the 2004 film Crash). Overall, I have fallen in love with it. It is very underrated, and some of the negative feedback it has received is not worth it. See it, expect flaws, but see it expecting something big, something about human complexity, and you will not be disappointed.

overall it's not bad. you could come away with the impression it was a good film but along the way it employs various means in the script that detract significantly from it. in order to further a story line set forth the characters are at times made artificially stupid or forced to make choices that doesn't seem credible. it's always a shame when that's done because it pulls you out of the suspended disbelief somewhat and let's you see it as construct rather than experience it. apropos :). the acting is not a problem and it's a long list of celebs in the cast but it isn't always believable. it's OK but tarnished a bit by those faux pas.

An incredible little film that shows just how we are all interconnected and part of the universe. When one's wings flutter, it affects all around us, and in ways that can sometimes be very surprising.

The emotions expressed in the film are all emotions that help us understand how we are interconnected. With the exception of Brandon Fraser and Andy Garcia, all the roles in the film were confined to a particular segment. There were some very good actors in small parts in the film.

Fraser was fantastic in a very unemotional role. His first attempts at showing any emotion cost him his life, just as Forest Whitaker's attempt at happiness cost him his.

I really like Whitaker's musing that happiness comes from playing by the rules and doing well in school. The reward for doing well in school is more school and more school, and then you can get a job and start wanting things. Do any of us every attain happiness? Or, as Whitaker, are we stuck in some dead-end job wanting? Kevin Bacon showed how one risks it all for love and gave a superb performance. I just kept wishing that Sorrow (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was that little girl from his past. I bet she was and they just didn't tell us.

A very pleasurable hour and a half.

It's interesting. This film did receive a lot of bad reviews from most film critics. But then again, this film is not intended for the educated and demanding critics.

It's rather intended for the oblivious Generation X who is lost in chaos and holds on to the little bit of hope that is left in a bleak future yet to come.(you know who you are)

The Air I Breath tells a story of amazing yet globally recognizable incidences and displays numerous examples of clairvoyance, Deja-Vu, synchronicity and coincidence from a somewhat Zen/Jungian point of view, although far more pessimistic.

The plot is told from various perspectives that all intervene in one way or the other a la Magnolia/Pulp Fiction/etc. Those who enjoyed flicks like The Butterfly Effect and Donnie Darko will possibly possess the right view and the right questions to enjoy this film.

The film has a comic book/graphic novel taste to it, and those familiar with Neil Gaiman's work should be in for a treat. The photography vaguely reminded me of Sin City although it's not half as good. The major problem lies with the Asian Soap Opera dialog that gets cheesy after a while and easily evokes the narrow mindedness and irritation of the cynical viewers.

This film is more intended for the young, open minded New Serenity movement who seek answers and comfort in life.

To begin with, there were times when people didn't care about the money, didn't cry about work, popularity or power.. However, those lovely times are way back in ancient civilizations, while nowadays the religion, the bank and pure emotions steal the scene. These are the subjects I were thinking about a lot lately and probably some of you did too. Therefore, this movie probably was the best movie I could have watched at this part of my life. I did, and now I am happy.

The story of this movie could be easily summarized by one exact quote of just a random-looking worker from the movie: "I need a way out". I couldn't agree more - in todays universe, even more in my country, there are people who live to work. They live to eat, they live to buy some goods and sometimes, they just live to give their problems away to other people... This is actually all covered in this movie by a director that I have never heard of, but it might be a time for me to start learning his name. I began loving this movie from very first fifth minute- to the very end.

The cast is amazing - both main and supporting actors gave me their best. Bacon, Whitaker, Gellar, Fraser, Garsia, Hirch - what a nice choice for this movie! However, if you are not really open minded, you may not like their characters, you may not like the plot, but still, you will love the acting. Persuasive, smart and well done. That's how I would rate the crew members of this movie.

This leads to n awfully understandable conclusion - "The Air I Breathe" is actually one of the best movies I have seen this year, only "25 Hour" moved me more.. Even after seeing Ed's "25 Hour" i was quick to state that crime/drama is from now on my most favorite genre of the movie. Didn't take long to prove that it actually is - thanks to the amazing "The Air I Breathe"