Life or Breath (2004)

LIFE OR BREATH is a darkly comedic thriller about MARTIN WALLACE, a middle aged engineer who absolutely despises his wife, MYRA. After twenty years of marriage, she has transformed into an ... See full summary »

Director:

Steve Desmond

Writers:

Nelson DeMille (short story), Steve Desmond (screenplay),

Stars:

Fairly Tull, Jennifer Costa, Robert Stephen Ryan

Cast

Credited cast:
Fairly Tull	...	Myra Wallace
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jennifer Costa	...	Kristine (as Jennifer Wetzel)
Robert Stephen Ryan	...	Martin (as Robert Ryan)
Paul Taviani	...	Dr. Wasserman

Storyline

LIFE OR BREATH is a darkly comedic thriller about MARTIN WALLACE, a middle aged engineer who absolutely despises his wife, MYRA. After twenty years of marriage, she has transformed into an overweight, unloving, materialistic woman who dominates Martin's very existence. However, due to an unexpected accident, Myra's now hooked up to a life support ventilator. With Myra incapacitated, Martin sees that his life is quickly slipping away as he sits idly at her bedside, abiding to her every whim, while secretly hoping that she dies. In his quest for freedom from Myra's overbearing containment, Martin decides to evaluate other options. One other option. Murder Myra and salvage what remains of his own life.

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Taglines:

Marriage... There's always a way out.

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 2004 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

University of Southern California (USC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

13 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Very dark and very clever

This is a wonderful dark comedy short that excels thanks to fantastic writing. The film begins in the home of an older couple. The husband seems like a nice guy, but the wife is truly despicable--loud, demanding and she treats her poor husband like a servant. When she unexpectedly becomes ill and is sent to the hospital, the staff is subjected to the obnoxious behavior of the wife. During this stay, she is truly awful and the poor man decides to use his engineering skills to kill her. He plans to sabotage the electrical system and the backup system in the hospital so that her ventilator stops--thus ending his life of misery. However, in a delicious turn of events, his plan goes nothing like he envisioned--leading to a very funny conclusion.

The entire project is great. The wife is played with horrid gusto and the husband manages to convey quite a bit without saying much. These actors also were ably supported by excellent direction but most importantly by a brilliantly written tale. Terrific in every way--provided you like very, very dark comedy! I sure hope Steve Desmond and the rest of those responsible for this film do more projects--they are immensely talented and clever.