Etats de choc

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.

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.

I just watched The Air I Breathe on one of those "cheesey" cable channels. It showed 2 out of 4 stars but it sounded interesting. I looked it up on here and thank goodness I did. I watched it and I liked it for a multitude of reasons.

I have to say IMHO this is probably the best "serious" ~ non comedic performance I have seen from Brendan Fraser. AlI the way around good acting. Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance is stellar and Kevin Bacon's performance in this movie is terrific.

So thank you to everyone who wrote the good reviews. They steered me in the right direction and I'm glad I watched this movie.

First-time director Jieho Lee has brought us the next installment of the multiple stories genre threaded together as though fate and coincidence are the name of the game. This type of narrative has been around for a long time, most definitely before Robert Altman's Short Cuts, but at least there is an example from 15 years ago, and I can't rack the brains for an earlier one at this time. The most well known to those out there today is of course Oscar-winner Crash. Lee's The Air I Breathe, based on an ancient Chinese proverb that life can be broken down into the four emotional cornerstones of Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love, is not as good as Haggis' film, and I think even that one is overrated. It's not that I disliked this one, I actually found a lot that I really loved, unfortunately, there's more that feels overdone, overwritten, and absolutely unrealistic. One thing you can't fault it for, however, is the superb cast and acting.

Some of the dialogue is almost too obvious, at times having answers repeat all the words in the question…just a bad redundancy as though the audience might not comprehend a short answer. These characters are so important in the scheme of each other's lives that everything out of their mouths needs to be so well crafted that it becomes stiff. The delivery, though, is almost consistently superb. Brendan Fraser is great in a rare serious role, the kind of stuff that began his career. Very stoic and deliberate in all he does, you begin to feel for him as the stone façade starts to falter. Due to the story-structure going out of order, we see some of this emotional evolution before the catalyst for it, but once that event occurs, it makes everything before it make more sense and I actually think it was handled well as a result. Even his ability to see the future was utilized in a realistic way that it never felt like a gimmick, just a skill he had and used. The best actor, again as almost always, is Forest Whitaker as a by-the-books successful man who has finally realized that his pristine life is devoid of true happiness. No material needs can fill the void of actually living, whether living wealthy or poorly, it is the act of adventure and excitement that is necessary to enjoy. His final reaction of pure adulation is the best part of the film and it happens about twenty minutes in.

One would think that a story as involving as this would have pretty equal billing for all roles, but that is not true. Whitaker and Kevin Bacon are underused while Fraser is involved at almost every turn. Andy Garcia, however, is the one that stays the most constant throughout. As a hardnosed bookie/gangster, nicknamed "Fingers," Garcia shines, something that usually doesn't occur with him of late. He is good at this type of role and it was nice to see him sink his teeth into it. Even Sarah Michelle Gellar had her moments, although few, to show that maybe she can do more than Scooby-Doo and every year's Japanese horror remake. Mention also needs to go to Clark Gregg in a small, but funny role, and Emile Hirsch as Garcia's nephew, appearing to be a pawn to the plot, but in actuality becomes a role with payoff.

As far as the style went, I can't complain too much. The correlations between each thread is well conceived if not totally contrived to benefit the story. I enjoyed the transitions, especially at the start with multiple layers and progressions. I can't quite recall if that is the only part in which it was used, though. The music was also a help; very Explosions in the Sky-like, the score enhanced each moment it was used. In the end, the film just couldn't keep its bloated, heavy-handed script up. Even utilizing the four emotions as vignette titles (something used similarly in the superior The Dead Girl) was so obvious that it became laughable. Each instance made you know first thing that they will be the exact opposite of that title despite the lead thinking they were—happiness was really depression, pleasure was really regret, sorrow was really vanity, and love was desperation. Every emotion is more of a backhanded overview that is manipulated in order to serve the tale, rather than allowing the tale to serve the emotions that are supposed to be back-boning it.

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.