Touches You

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Surely, the writers and director of this film know how to grab your attention and this film is quite perfect if you look for entertainment and some good messages to your life. On the same steps of "Crash" and other multi-plot films "The Air I Breathe" gives us four characters (named after constant elements in our lives) who are connected in risky and unusual events trying to solve their problems, break out their anxiety and their empty lives, searching for a good purpose or just trying to survive in the best possible way. They are Happinness (Forest Whitaker), Sorrow (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Love (Kevin Bacon) and Pleasure (Brendan Fraser) but we can't positively say they really represent these values or look for them (but I guess we all do, in a way). They're totally different from each other, always bumping at each other in some way but what makes them equal is the wish to make their existence in this life something of worth.I really enjoy films like this specially if they're well made. Despite the narration of some of the main characters, showing their backgrounds and their motivations, the script never exposes itself so much in giving its meaning so easily; there is a meaning, a sense and it is placed underneath all those thrilling scenes which means that audiences are treated with decency, we can all get what the film is trying to do. "The Air I Breathe" tries to prove that feelings and sensations are more important than money but the latter overcomes (and more appealing than) the other. Take a look at Fingers (played by Andy Garcia), the fifth element, completely out of order, and the only thing he wants is to make money and more money while the others are more concerned about finding their way in life. Somehow, they all end up crossing the path of Fingers, this dangerous gangster, who does everything he wants regardless of consequences even if he has to kill a friend. Despite what you might thing about the destines of all the characters compared to Fingers destiny, they all end up better than he. They share a quiet and brief momentum of realization, fulfilled of everything even that most of them suffered horrors to get there, they cried and cried and he, who most of the time is laughing and being a dominant personality of any situation, seems to never reach this state of mind. No, it's not a completely drama, there's plenty of room for action and thrilling moments, and also lots of undeserving exaggerated sequences as well (why they always have to include ridiculous accidents in hyper linked films like these? Only the characters encounters should be accidental rather than having someone run over by a car. But the one with the snake was very effective and surprising, specially what the editor made with the scene). It has its flaws, its weak moments and lots of absurd but the final result is a very good film, with good performances from the cast (which also includes Emile Hirsch, Clark Gregg, Julie Delpy and Kelly Hu) and it won't disappoint anyone who enjoys good stories where all the dots are perfectly connected at the ending. 9/10

This is one of those movies which should have been great only to become a disaster. It's based partly on the Chinese proverb that four emotions form the foundation of life, Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love, and those emotions are embodied by four very shallow characters. However, the real foundations of this film are Anger, Frustration, and Pretentiousness. Anyway, the four foundations are used to create four stories which interlock, no doubt inspired by Pulp Fiction. The first story features a timid and stressed-out investment banker identified as Happiness (Forest Whittaker) who has worked hard and played by the rules, only to have a lonely and frustrating life to show for it. So when he overhears his supervisors planning to bet on a horse race with an insider's tip, he bets heavily on the horse, only to lose it all and owe huge money to a classy but ruthless gangster named Fingers (Andy Garcia, who has played this kind of role more times than I can remember). One of Whittaker's more successful clients is identified as Pleasure (Brenden Fraser), a gangster's enforcer of Fingers' who has the ability to see pieces of the future. That ability is not entirely a blessing, as the visions are hard to interpret and take the spontaneity and surprise out of life. Well, Fraser's character is hired by Fingers to babysit his obnoxious gangster wannabe nephew Tony (Emile Hirsch), who of course makes trouble and angers powerful people, which results in Fraser's being beaten up severely. Meanwhile, the third story is about a beautiful but ditsy and vain pop singer named Trista (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who is also identified as "Sorrow." Her sorrow comes when her manager embezzles from her and sells her contract to Fingers to pay off an overwhelming gambling debt. Fingers sees this as a chance to go legit, but he clearly plans to work Trista to death while taking most of her earnings until her fifteen minutes of fame is over. In the last story, Love is a doctor (Kevin Bacon) who's in love with his best friend's wife, a beautiful epidemiologist (Julie Delpy) who gets bitten by a lethal snake and needs a blood transfusion from a rare blood type or she'll die. Did you get all that? A big problem is that all of characters behave in ways so stupid, it's impossible to care about them. It gets even more infuriating because they are forced to react to coincidences that are improbable in a way that's science fiction. There are also a number of lines featuring fortune cookie philosophy and existential angst that are meant to be profound but only evoke sneers from intelligent people. Is there anything good about this film? Well, Jieho Lee proves to be a technically competent director. Also, the talented actors do what they can with their cardboard roles. As a result, there are some attractive shots and a few isolated scenes work. But these minor virtues are overwhelmed by the stupidity and pretentiousness of the script.

I love this movie, it made me cry. But one thing i think they should have done was add more to the story because it falls in to place to fast and you get it even before it starts. I wish they would have done more sorrow and pleasure . But thats just my opinion.( I'm not going to add 10 lines so I'm just gonna copy and paste )I love this movie, it made me cry. But one thing i think they should have done was add more to the story because it falls in to place to fast and you get it even before it starts. I wish they would have done more sorrow and pleasure . But thats just my opinion.I love this movie, it made me cry. But one thing i think they should have done was add more to the story because it falls in to place to fast and you get it even before it starts. I wish they would have done more sorrow and pleasure . But thats just my opinion.I love this movie, it made me cry. But one thing i think they should have done was add more to the story because it falls in to place to fast and you get it even before it starts. I wish they would have done more sorrow and pleasure . But thats just my opinion.

OK, it starts off relatively promising.. And I hope I don't spoil anything for anyone by saying it sort of went all down hill after the first 5 minutes.... Especially the end, where the supposedly pop-starry girl drives around town with loads of lip gloss smeared all over her face.... OMG - what's that all about!!!!! And I really wasn't planning on saying anything else bad about this movie (cause bad it is folks back home who think of renting this movie STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP) but since they made me write at least ten lines to be able to drop this warning I will keep on ranting for now. So, let's think, what was good?!...... Good question..... Hmmm....... Whitaker was sort of OK, although I think playing in this movie with the girl with the glossy face didn't do him any good...sorry to bring it up again (-: