Air I Breathe, The

37

THINKFilm ( minutes)
and Jieho Lee
Kevin Bacon , Forest Whitaker , Andy Garcia , Sarah Michelle Gellar , Brendan Fraser , Julie Delpy , and Emile Hirsch

Rating: R for violence, language and some sexual content/nudity

Summary: Inspired by a Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four key emotions – Happiness, Sorrow, Pleasure, and Love – The Air I Breathe is told in four short fables, each built around a character who embodies one of these key emotions. In Happiness, a timid banker who impulsively bets every cent he has, and then some, on a supposedly “sure thing.” In “Sorrow,” a rising pop star whose contract falls under the control of a ruthless crime boss, and his corrupt nephew. In “Pleasure,” a man who can see into the future of everyone he meets, but is totally blind when it comes to his own; and in “Love,” a doctor who pines for a woman he can never possess, only to find that he suddenly holds her life in his hands. Though each of the characters believes that his or her life is governed by hazard and chance, their unbridled emotions, impulsive choices, and reckless moves all prove one universal truth: character is destiny, and each of us makes our own fate. (THINKfilm)

Ken Fox
TV Guide:
(63) Lee deserves a lot of credit for attempt the same kind of complex story structure Quentin Tarantino made look so easy in "Pulp Fiction": Like Tarantino's interlocking stories, Lee's four segments occur achronologically and come full circle in a neat twist at the very end.

Stephen Holden
The New York Times:
(50) An ingenious contraption that holds your attention for as long as it whirs and clicks like a mechanized Rubik’s Cube. After it’s over, however, you may find yourself scratching your head and wondering if there was any purpose to this sleek little gizmo.

Jack Mathews
New York Daily News:
(50) The source for Jieho Lee's The Air I Breathe is an ancient Chinese proverb about the four cornerstones of emotion - love, pleasure, happiness and sorrow. But Lee and co-writer Bob DeRosa went 0-4 with their convoluted screenplay, making me thankful they didn't try to adapt the Seven Deadly Sins.

Claudia Puig
USA Today:
(50) Each story has its moments, but "Air" lacks an overarching vision.

Kyle Smith
New York Post:
(38) Situations get increasingly ridiculous, and none of the characters ever seems like anything but a screenwriter's sketch.

Ronnie Scheib
Variety:
(30) Stellar thesps gamely strive to elevate the one-note material, but gravity ultimately defeats them in this relentless downer.

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