Asthma

Greetings again from the darkness. So this greasy, heroin-addicted slacker picks up a smartass tattoo artist while driving the Rolls Royce he has just stolen. What sounds like the beginning of a stand-up comedian's best joke, is actually one of the earliest scenes from writer/director Jake Hoffman's first feature film. That's right, you have seen him many times as an actor (he played shoe mogul Steve Madden in The Wolf of Wall Street), but now Dustin's son is a full-fledged filmmaker.

When first we meet Gus (Benedict Samuel, "The Walking Dead"), he can't be bothered to actually paint the wall he was hired to paint … "It's already white!" Once relieved of his duties, he heads home and white washes his apartment … not just the walls, but his TV, books and Jim Morrison poster. He claims all of his heroes are dead, and that he was unfortunately born in the wrong era … the 70's were so much more his style. He then proceeds to try and hang himself. Of course, he fails at that too.

Next we see him car-jack the Rolls and then Ruby (Krysten Ritter) is accepting his offer of driving her to Connecticut. Having previously rebuffed his advances at a local bar, it's obvious Ruby is intrigued by the banter and energy of Gus. The road trip brings it challenges and high points for Gus, and the two arrive at the communal retreat that features a mystic/yoga instructor (Goran Visnjic, Beginners) and a rock singer (Dov Tiefenbach), amongst others. Logan, the rock singer, and Gus softly battle for Ruby's attention, but it's difficult to watch as Gus drugs up and loses any sense of appeal.

It's not long before Gus is being bailed out of jail by his well-off dad … played by Jerry Zucker, who in real life, directed Ghost and produced numerous Hollywood films. The two share an awkward car ride to the home of Gus' bedridden mom played by Rosanna Arquette. Perhaps all of this makes more sense when you learn that Gus also takes life advice from his imaginary philosophical talking werewolf (voiced by Nick Nolte). Maybe this explains what those of us who don't shoot heroin are really missing.

The cast is strong, and each gives it their best shot. It's just not very entertaining or enlightening to watch some aimless dude drift through life while higher than a kite. What is clear, and has been to me for quite some time, is that at some point the right role is going to come along for Krysten Ritter, and her career will take off. She has had a solid career up to now, but next level is within her grasp. She has quite a screen presence … way more than the imaginary werewolf. Mr. Hoffman's feel for directing offers hope for future projects, and he is certainly to be commended for his use of cutting edge music. Next time … please give us a more interesting lead character.

The "Asthma" by writer-director Jake Hoffman has a nifty irony for a short time.

The film's slacker-junkie hero Gus (Benedict Samuel), challenged by weakening bronchial asthma bouts that leave him gasping for air, is just enough of a charming kook that "Asthma" is imbued with a 1960s-like, anti-establishment spirituality.

In other words, in a way that Gus can not, "Asthma" breathes with the wealthy oxygen of chance.

As a listener, it also feels nice to absorb the heady atmosphere of Hoffman. He steals a Rolls-Royce, picks up the lovely Ruby ("Jessica Jones'" Krysten Ritter in an Audrey Hepburn-like role) and heads out of Manhattan for woody Connecticut after Gus fails a suicide attempt (which literally includes whiting himself out with paint).

Following the short road trip, the infectious pleasure of dismissing boring ancient real-world normalcy is set to a jangling pop soundtrack. The same feeling of exploration and openness endures when there is a mishap with the vehicle that leaves Gus and Ruby walking for miles, embracing both the plot and the difficult but emerging relationship of the characters.

But then Hoffman (Dustin Hoffman's son, and an actor in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" playing the shoe salesman) shifts course. Once the pair reaches a cult-like hipster society, the tale becomes of Ruby attempting to maintain up with Gus as his demons chase him. "Asthma" becomes flat, and much less sympathetic becomes Gus.

A cast that involves Rosanna Arquette in a short scene, Nick Nolte voicing a drug-induced waswolf appearance and a Goran Visnjic as a guru that is scarcely recognizable adds interest and fun. The bleached visuals of Hoffman cannily indicate the worn out spirit of Gus.

But "Asthma" loses its spark and momentum long before the midpoint- a real deception.

Visually this film is stunning and the accompanying soundtrack is perfect. Choreography of the scenes is also superb.I would say this is the most visually perfect movie I've seen in years, bringing to mind The Blue Light, High Noon and other beautifully filmed movies whose images stay with you. Everyone but Krysten Ritter is perfectly cast. Unfortunately having been in similar situations when I was young, I know that she had no idea what this girl was like -- her lines worked, she just didn't know what person would be saying these things and she just isn't that person. It kept taking me out of the movie. Too bad, with better casting, it might have become a classic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film for many reasons. Firstly i feel that it was shot in such a way to make the viewer feel extremely involved in all that was happening. It almost was done in an intimate way to make one feel like they were watching something they shouldn't. Its as if the madness was happening in your own backyard. The music was perfect!!! It added so much feeling to an already emotionally charged scene. I'd love to have a track list!! I felt invested in the characters and could heavily relate to falling in love with a car crash of a human. I also enjoyed the surprising strangeness of it all. I found the dialogue relatable as well as the situations the characters were involved or wound up in. Highly recommended. Hats off to the writer/director. Would love to see more of his work.

The story just needs a bit more time in the oven. Gus and the stumble of characters and situations that happen in this rake's bare progress are all likable and earnest with charming quirks even when it includes a suggestion of cannibalism--or was that a mere socio-political statement? It's all slightly off, like the eucalyptus grove in the Connecticut woods setting. The soundtrack has the hipness the film aspires to but doesn't quite live up to despite the junkie jade and pro to-punk references (which includes a real live reference in the form of an Iggy Pop cameo). I'm thinking about this film more than I expected and perhaps more than I care to. And is it truly devastating blow to a woman when a man passes out while still inside?