document-->
Front page of current issueContents of current issue
What's in Festivale, including cover stories, the tour, indices, and what's new
what's new, Festivale's revision history Go to the online shopping mall where all the on-line stores areThe Bookroom: News, reviews, linksReel Life: The movie section with film commentary, coming attractions and release dates, links pages and more.Technology BytesFestivale's guide to Melbourne and Victoria, photos, maps, linksFestivale's guide to Melbourne and Victoria, photos, maps, links

A Reel Life film section

Issue:

The Air I Breathe (2009) movie review

Soul Search Slowly

space

Don't do it! Don't do it!

Don't you hate it when characters, especially in the opening scenes of a film, do something really, really stupid.

Within 15 minutes, this film descends from dingy into brutal when a drone-level broker puts down a bet that he can't cover.

Inspired by an ancient Chinese proverb that life has four parts: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love The Air I Breathe tells a different person's story for each 'part' of life.

Sometimes the things we can't change...end up changing us. Sometimes movies that try to be moody and deeply atmospheric and full of meaning and thought are instead slow-moving and dreary.

Movie poster; The Air I Breathe; Festivale film review; 220x335

Movie poster, The Air I Breathe
Sometimes the things we can't change...end up changing us.

Sometimes actors like Brendan Fraser are seduced by the possibility of playing against type. The problem is that they and their material have to work twice as hard -- once to apologise for not meeting expectations, and once to make the material fly.

This material doesn't fly. It drags. It's 42 minutes of story packed into 95 minutes of screen time. Once again we realise that an excess of violence can make for a boring film because ultimately it has nothing really interesting to offer.

Bookmark and Share

Like us on facebook

Add your comments

by Ali Kayn
Due for Australian release 2009
For credits and official site details, see below
Search Festivale for more work by the film-makers below.

See also:

Just the facts:

Title: The Air I Breathe (2009)
Written by: Jieho Lee & Bob DeRosa
Directed by: Jieho Lee
Running time: 95 mins
Rating: MA

The Players: Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Forest Whitaker

Official website:
IMDb entry

For session times of current films, use the cinema listings on the Movie links page. For scheduled release dates, see the coming attractions section.

For more information about this movie, check out the internet movie database.
For the latest additions to Festivale, check out the change history section.

Coming attractions, Movies by month, Australian movie release datesIndex of movie reviewscontents of current FestivaleA Reel Life movie section