The Air I Breathe (2007)

Director:

Jieho Lee

Writers (WGA):

Jieho Lee (written by) &
Bob DeRosa (written by)

Release Date:

13 December 2007 (Greece)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes the things we can't change...end up changing us.

Plot:

A drama based on an ancient Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four emotional cornerstones: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. A businessman bets his life on a horse race; a gangster sees the future; a pop star (Gellar) falls prey to a crime boss; a doctor must save the love of his life.

Plot Keywords:

Pop Star | Gambling | Public Toilet | Finger Cut Off | Rooftop

Cast

Kevin Bacon	...	Love
Julie Delpy	...	Gina
Brendan Fraser	...	Pleasure
Andy Garcia	...	Fingers
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Sorrow
Clark Gregg	...	Henry
Emile Hirsch	...	Tony
Forest Whitaker	...	Happiness
Kelly Hu	...	Jiyoung
Evan Parke	...	Danny
Taylor Nichols	...	Sorrow's Father
Victor Rivers	...	Eddie
Cecilia Suárez	...	Alison
Todd Stashwick	...	Frank
Jon Bernthal	...	Interviewer

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content/nudity.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | USA:R | UK:15 | South Korea:18 | Ireland:16

Filming Locations:

Mexico City, México D.F., Mexico

Company:

NALA Films

Trivia:

When Brendan Fraser is looking at pictures of the famous pop star Trysta played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, real magazine photos of Sarah Michelle Gellar were used.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Gina is in the hospital, we see the patient monitor in demonstration mode ("demo" is flashing). It also indicates the patient is an adult male.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Happiness: I always wondered, when a butterfly leaves the safety of its cocoon, does it realize how beautiful it has become? Or does it still just see itself as a caterpillar?

Movie Connections:

References Krull (1983)

Soundtrack:

Ridin

Fascinating!

I didn't have high expectations for this film, because I had read some mediocre reviews about this movie but I was surprised how good this movie was. The characters were so real and deep and they were very well performed by the actors. Especially Brendan Fraser was brilliant. His character Is also in my opinion the best performed and the most interesting character in this movie. He shows that he is gifted with great acting talent, and this is in my opinion his best achievement yet.

The Air I Breathe is a stunning and fascinating film. It is the directional debut for Jieho Lee who does a great job. He has directed an amusing, thoughtful, touching and emotional film that it worth to watch.

9/10