Breathing (2011)

Simply Perfect

Good concept, poorly executed.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

In the Buddhist tradition, breathing grounds us in the present moment. According to Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, "Breathing opens the door to stopping and looking deeply in order to enter the domain of concentration and insight." For Roman Kogler (Thomas Schubert) in Karl Markovics remarkable debut film Breathing, it is simply the means to avoid suffocating in a world in which, even at the age of nineteen, he has already suffered many losses. Written and directed by Austrian actor Karl Markovics (The Counterfeiters) and winner of the best film award at Directors' Fortnight in Cannes last year, Breathing is the story of a sullen young man waging a lonely battle to recover his selfhood.Having grown up in an orphanage after being abandoned by his mother (there is no mention of his father), Roman has spent the last five years of his life in a juvenile-detention center for the killing of a young bully. "I didn't murder him, he died in hospital," he proclaims. Taciturn to the point of mute, Roman does not know much about life outside the confines of his protective but non-stimulating environment. His life consists of reading travel magazines, smoking, sleeping, and swimming. Even when he is swimming, he is alone. The other boys line up outside the pool and wait for him to get out. Hesitant and afraid, he masks his fear with a swagger, but no one is fooled.To have a chance at getting out, Roman is told by his parole officer that he must show that he can hold a steady job. Let go from his tryout as a welder because he refused to wear a helmet, he is hired to be a mortuary attendant after answering an ad, but emotionally he is barely distinguishable from the corpses and is treated shabbily by his robot-like co-workers who know he is in detention. He hangs on, however, knowing that this may be his last chance for parole. Slowly, he learns how to perform better at his job and the negative attitude of the harshest co-worker changes to one of support, depicted in a tender sequence where they wash and dress the body of an older woman together while her daughter waits outside the room.Every day, Roman must get up at the crack of dawn to take the train into Vienna where he passes by a huge billboard advertising a vacation that ironically implores us to "dive into adventure." When he returns each evening, he has to undergo a humiliating strip search. Something finally clicks for him when he deals with a corpse who has his same last name. Suddenly motivated, he tracks down his mother (Karin Lischka) to confront her about the reason she gave him up at birth. When she tells him that "it was the best thing I ever did in my life," he is understandably stunned. Though the mood of the film is mostly solemn, there is a lovely scene on the subway where a young American girl sits next to Roman and they share a beer together (which he is not allowed to do).Though he knows he will never see her again, it is the first time he has smiled during the movie and it signals a process of awakening. In Breathing, Markovics has woven a potentially sentimental tale into a film that is grounded in subtlety and nuance. Though raw and, at times bleak, it is a work that is laced with a gentle compassion, and the touching performance of non-professional actor Thomas Schubert is a revelation. Though he still has a long way to go, the panning shot of cinematographer Martin Gschlacht transporting us high above the grey city, above its cemeteries, above its jails and its claustrophobic environment suggests that Roman can now be tall as the sky and, for the first time, wide enough to embrace what it means to be free.

Austria has been hitting aces with films like THE COUNTERFEITERS and REVANCHE and again with BREATHING, the country proves it has got what it takes to be considered amongst quality film making countries.The film is small and poignant driven by a brave, bold and haunting performance by Thomas Schubert. The boy delves deep into the character and comes up with a nuance and sincerely enriched performance stating that he clearly lived every second of the film and literally felt the character making him able to wear the character over himself like a costume.The supporting cast was adequate and served their purpose decently.Karl Markovics is a known actor who inspired me with his acting skills in THE COUNTERFEITERS but here he comes up with an even better film and inspires with his directing and writing skills. The scenes were meticulously crafted, the feelings of the reclusive lead character were so rich that one watching the film can easily feel the mental pain and torture that he goes through.The scenes i like best were when the Schubert releases the trapped bird, it carefully tells how his character has evolved into someone less brutal and caring person.The score by Herbert Tucmandl and cinematography by Martin Gschlacht was cool and provided with the accurate mood of the film; dense, low but yet beautiful.This movie might not be appealing to everyone but the lovers of art-drama films will surely cherish this small gem from Austria.

Through the magnificent photography of Martin Gschlacht, we take science, right in the opening scenes, that we are facing a movie totally different then those we saw before. Initially controversial (due to the fact of stupendous interpretation of Thomas Schubert) Roman Kogler will creeping in our imagination as one more important character in movie's history. Take, for example, the scene in which, after more day of labor, he comes back to "his home" : when he observes the others passengers, as if the was trying to guess how the lives of those "unknown": Are they happy? Do they fight among themselves? Do they have enough money to sustain themselves? What are theirs aspirations (secret or not)? After all these thoughts, the final question (made in silence to himself and looking out through the glass train's window, which reflects his inner loniless): And how my life would be without having to go back to "home" = Prison? Poignant film! Karin Lischka (almost the same level of interpretation of Thomas Schubert) is simply sensational when she reveals brutally, bluntly, that she tried to kill his own son! Must-see movie for all those who enjoy a film in which the Director (Karl Markovics) seeks to dissect with a scalpel, the soul of all his characters. On a scale of 1 to 10, rating: 10 (masterpiece).

Karl Markovics had to work hard to escape his signature role as Stockinger, the funny sidekick in the popular TV show "Kommissar Rex". It took a lot of "serious" theater work and the leading role in Stefan Ruzowitzky's Academy Award winning "Die Fälscher" until he finally got the respect he deserved as an actor. Now Markovics goes on to prove his talents extend beyond just acting: "Atmen" is his debut as a writer and director - and he hits the bull's eye on the first try.Apparently, Markovics has worked on a lot of script ideas over the years, but never deemed any of them good enough to be developed into a movie. Finally his wife convinced him to go through with one of those ideas, and rightfully so. "Atmen" is an artistic triumph. Not only is the script brilliantly written, but it is also flawlessly executed. The direction seems almost effortless, as if Markovics was already an old master. He seems to know intentionally what to show when, he's got a great eye for frames and unagitated pictures, and, an actor himself, he naturally knows how to direct other actors. That's not to take away from the great cast. Veteran stars like Georg Friedrich and Karl Rott don't disappoint, but the focus lies on Thomas Schubert who says a lot with just facial expressions. Obviousl,y the movie's success depended on Schubert's performance and the first time actor lives up to the task. He's a great talent. Hopefully we'll see more of him in the future."Atmen" is a touching and believable movie about life and death, tight-lipped, but never boring, bleak, but in the end optimistic. It's very authentic in its depiction of Vienna, its depiction of a boy who hasn't been dealt the best cards in life. And, most of all, it's got its heart in the right place. This really deserves an Oscar win - much more than "Die Fälscher" did, actually.