Breathing (2012)
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 17
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 441
Movie Info
The acclaimed directorial debut from veteran Austrian actor Karl Markovics (star of the Academy Award-winning The Counterfeiters), is an eloquent, affecting portrait of an incarcerated teenager (newcomer Thomas Schubert) attempting to win parole by working at a local morgue. Raised from birth in institutions, he is initially impassive and self-sabotaging in his behavior; soon, though, he begins to respect the solemn work of handling the dead, and starts to come to terms with his own youthful
Aug 31, 2012 Limited
Kino Lorber Films
- Official Site
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Cast
-
Thomas Schubert
Roman -
Karin Lischka
Margit -
Gerhard Liebmann
Walter Fakler -
Georg Friedrich
Rudolf Kienast -
Stefan Matousch
Gerhard Schorn -
Georg Veitl
Jürgen Hefor -
Klaus Rott
Leopold Wesnik -
Luna Mijovic
Mona -
Reinhold Moritz
Josef Kallinger -
Martin Oberhauser
Prison Guard #3 -
Magdalena Kronschläger
Young Lady -
David Oberkogler
Policeman #1 -
Michael Duregger
Policeman #2 -
Peter Raffalt
Judge -
Stephanie Taussig
Daughter-in-Law -
Gabriela Schmoll
Home Help -
Elena Dorfler
Roberta -
Werner Wultsch
Man in Sweatsuit -
Robert Putzinger
Train Vendor
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Breathing Trailer & Photos
All Critics (22) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (2)
A film of unreconciled impulses, Breathing is by turns vaguely sentimental and cooly detached in a manner that's ultimately more off-putting than it is complementary.
Top CriticElegant cinematography by Martin Gschlacht, one of Austria's most sought-after lensers, gives "Breathing" added depth.
"Breathing" stands as a sure-handed look at an individual's slow journey toward realization.
Markovics shows a keen attention to performers that you'd expect from a thespian-turned-director.
There's no superficial flash here, just patient and compassionate storytelling gradually immersing us in this young man's world, as first-timer Schubert's vulnerable adolescent grows up before our very eyes.
Low-key, sombre, and slightly more lively than the coffins.
An affecting, unsentimental film with a strong central performance from Thomas Schubert.
Not exactly life-affirming, but Schubert's performance is so eloquent and Markovics's direction so sure that the film blazes with an extraordinary power.
A provocative debut that captures its subject under glass and is content to observe. It's painful and poetic but a shade too introspective for its own good.
A beautifully judged, small-scale human drama that lingers in the memory long after some of those rowdy, big-budget blockbusters have faded.
Markovics's script circles around the themes of death and life in thoughtful and elegant ways: it is a well-carpentered screenplay which bears every sign of having been a labour of love, worked on fruitfully over many years.
As an actor-turned-director film, Markovics bracing debut is up there with Xavier Beauvois' of Gods and Men.
Markovics flexes his muscles on the other side of the camera with terrific effect. A fine, moving debut for the new writer/director.
Thoughtfully shot by first-time director Karl Markovics, the only warmth comes from the stiffening cadavers.
Poignant story of a nineteen-year-old at a Austrian juvenile detention center who gets a probation job at a morgue and begins inching toward a new life.
Can a film be faulted for being too sympathetic toward its characters, for limning a milieu with extraneous humanism?
...a persistently watchable piece of work that never quite becomes the riveting piece of work Markovics obviously wants it to be...
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Movie: ID: 771244056 Title: Breathing Release Date: 2012-08-31 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 6 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Atmen (DE)
- Breathing (Atmen) (UK)
