Oxygen (2010)

Two young men share an incurable illness. Is their love for the women in their lives strong enough to conquer their fear of dying?

Director:

Hans Van Nuffel

Writers:

Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem, Hans Van Nuffel

Stars:

Stef Aerts, Wouter Hendrickx, Marie Vinck

10 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stef Aerts	...	Tom
Wouter Hendrickx	...	Xavier
Marie Vinck	...	Anneleen
Rik Verheye	...	Jimmy
Anemone Valcke	...	Eline
Gijs Scholten van Aschat	...	Professor Duhamel
Maarten Mertens	...	Lucas
Ina Geerts	...	Simone
Kris Cuppens	...	Karl
Begir Memeti	...	verpleger Rachid
Günther Lesage	...	Operator in long function (as Gunther Lesage)
Maarten Ketels	...	Young doctor
Jolente De Keersmaeker	...	Doctor van Wacht
Mark van den Bos	...	Surgeon (as Mark Vandenbos)
Kasper Vandenberghe	...	Fredje

Storyline

Professor Duhamel takes great but heartless interest in the rare case of a mutated, yet congenital long disease of shy 'good boy' Lucas, father Karl's pride, and his rebellious brother Tom, who decides to enjoy as much as possible his short-cut life with dubious buddy Jimmy. Lucas dies in a promising transplant, Tom finds an apparent soul-mate in older Xavier, on the same donor list. Over a few years, doomed passion with two girls, one of which is in a bubble on account of an uncontrolled infection, messes up their relationships and even Tom's will to live, while Jimmy spares no effort or victim for his buddy's chances.

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Plot Keywords:

phone | oxygen mask | oxygen | driving a car | latex gloves | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stef Aerts (Tom) and Marie Vinck (Anneleen) are a couple in real life.

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Goofs

When Tom calls Eline for the first time when she is in quarantine, he uses the 5-digit phone number Eline gave him. This 5-digit number is an internal number in the hospital (regular phone numbers in Belgium having 9 or 10 digits). Tom calls her using his mobile phone (not using the phone he has on his room that would allow for an internal number) and clearly uses only 5 digits. The connection cannot be established that way.

User Reviews

Adem (Oxygen) takes its audience on emotional roller-coaster

Adem, directed by Hans Van Nuffel, screened this week in international competition at the Montreal World Film Festival (FFM). Tom (played by Stef Aerts) suffers from chronic cystic fibrosis - an hereditary condition he shares with his older brother Lucas (Maarten Mertens). Tom & Lucas spend much of their youth in the Belgian health care system, and the awful certainty that they will need to receive lung transplants and otherwise will not survive as adults. In one of his hospital stays, Tom meets Xavier (Wouter Hendrickx), who has the same illness. Xavier teaches Tom that life can be enjoyed to its fullest notwithstanding their precarious state of health. The two men face many ups & downs in a tumultuous relationship which is the basis of this fascinating film. The women in their lives and as well Tom's friends play prominent roles in an emotional roller coaster of a film. Ultimately, the two men's fates are inextricably linked. Stef Aerts delivers a magnificent acting performance, in which learning to take a breath of air is a challenge. The camera work is sensitive and yet unobtrusive. Hans Van Nuffel, who has a mild form of cystic fibrosis, also wrote the script and knows the subject matter. This gripping film is ultimately not about the illness. Rather it is about the will to survive.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Belgium]

Country:

Belgium Netherlands

Language:

Dutch

Release Date:

8 September 2010 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Haaien moeten blijven bewegen

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$900,627

Company Credits

Production Co:

A Private View, Eurimages, Flanders Image

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1