Review: ‘The Air I Breathe’ on DVD

First-timer Jieho Lee co-wrote and directed this multi-layered drama, starring Forest Whitaker, Brendan Frasier, Kevin Bacon, Andy Garcia, Julie Delpy, Emile Hirsch and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The Air I Breathe tells the story of four different people whose lives are connected in ways they do not know. The concept behind the film is based on an ancient Chinese proverb that divides life into four emotional elements: Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow and Love. The proverb suggests that these four elements combine to create the complete human experience. None of these four characters names are ever revealed in the movie.

The story is told in a fragmented fashion, pulling the separate stories together in time by acts of relative coincidence. The gangster character Fingers (Andy Garcia) is used as the thread that mends the four stories together into one complete movie, which in its essence is a great story, but in its execution is not very original and at times too convenient. Fortunately, the performances stand as a crutch for film with a structure weakened by a slight pretentiousness.

Happiness (Whitaker) is a man with a good job, a nice home and a modest future. However, he realizes that this is a formula that will lead him nowhere except in an endless circle of always wanting more. In an attempt to break free from the circle, he risks everything on a bet he naively believes is his ticket out. When things go horribly wrong, Happiness finds himself desperately trying to get back to where he started.

Pleasure (Frasier) is a gifted man who works as Fingers’ collector, but struggles with his gift as it has its limitations. He truly wants to do right by people, but feels that people are trapped within their fates and he can do nothing to change these fates. Its not until he happens upon a special person unlike any other that he realizes he does have the power to change the future of those he sees.

Sorrow (Gellar) is a talented young pop star whose fame is on the rise until her manager hands over her contract to Fingers as payment on a debt. Penniless and trapped by Fingers who plans to use her to make millions, she finds hope in a man who promises to save her. Sorrow eventually finds herself the catalyst for affecting and being affected by multiple twists of fate.

Love (Bacon) is a doctor who longs for his true love that he cannot have. When tragedy strikes, he finds himself acting out of love to save this person. Even though he knows he will never be with her, he fights to ensure her survival, finding friendship and renewal in the process. Love’s story is the final chapter before the pieces of this emotional puzzle are finally aligned, which makes for a thoughtful film, but unfortunately suffers from having borrowed from previous cinematic styles and concepts too much.

[rating:3.5/5]

DVD Features:

• Audio Commentary with the Director, Writer(s), DP and Editor.
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Theatrical Trailer