Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Atmen" or "Breathing" is an Austrian movie in the German language from 2011, so it had its 5th anniversary last year. It is the first filmmaking work for Karl Markovics, one of Austria's finest actors. You may know him from playing the main character in the Oscar-winning "Die Fälscher". So yeah, it is his rookie effort, but by now he has made another film already. But back to this one here. It received a great deal of awards recognition, for example at the Austrian Film Awards, but it got also picked to represent Austria at the Oscars where it was, however, not nominated. Young lead actor Thomas Schubert, who also won an Austrian Film Award for his performance, is probably not yet known to many, but German(language) film buffs will recognize at least Georg Friedrich, who plays one of the major supporting players, namely the protagonist's boss. And Markovics of course.This is the story of a young man who commits a terrible crime that gets him to jail and the movie is about how he comes to terms with what he did. A lot of it has to do with his work at a morgue where he gets an entirely new perspective about life and death. Obviously, this one plot reference would not be enough for a 90-minute movie, so they did nicely in including a reference to his mother who abandoned him at a very young age and she says at one point that it was the best she has ever done and when she elaborated on this statement later on, it is an interesting reference to what the protagonist did because surrendering to the situation is always a viable option. I also liked the scene at the train with the English/American girl. Some may see it as irrelevant, but to me it offered a lot. First of all, it is the one occasion where the central character is just a teenage boy like everybody else and he experiences what life could be like if he had not done what he did and how just even the most simple things like having a beer were prohibited and on the other hand it shows that love is not (yet) in the books for him as the only woman he was looking for at that particular time was his mother.Overall, the movie needed a while to get going and really catch my attention, but the longer it went, the more it did. It is obvious that Markovics had lots of experience with all kinds of filmmakers and he successful transformed this experience in his own craft as a writer and director, the man in charge behind the camera. So quite a revelation for a rookie filmmaker at the age of almost 50 back then. I maybe would not share the universal acclaim for Schubert as the main character, but not because he was bad or any thing, but because he just did what he had to and was pretty solid, especially for an actor his age. This film to me feels much more about the story as a whole than about individual performance and I don't think it may be right to put one above the others, only because he had more screen time. But this is not a negative point either, or at least not one that leaves a really weak note in terms of the viewing experience. Like I said earlier, what maybe bothers me the most about the film is that it takes quite a while to get going and could have worked better with a superior first half. The ending was nicely again as it shows that the film is not about who he was (we never see the attack), but about who he became. A well-rounded effort and I applaud Markovics and the rest for it. Certainly worth checking out.

jm10701 I fought hard not to fall in love with this movie, but I lost that battle. Words seem inadequate to describe a movie that communicates so effectively with very few words, words that only hold the story together but never carry the full weight of its power. But all I have here is words, so I must try.Breathing is the story of Roman Kogler, a 19-year-old inmate of a juvenile detention center where he has lived since he was 14 and killed a boy who had been bullying him. Roman was given up by his overwhelmed teenage mother soon after his birth (she had almost killed him to stop his crying) and has spent his whole life in orphanages and group homes, where the bullying incident occurred.He is almost catatonic, with no idea how to relate to other human beings. He's like a wounded wild animal held in a cage, never looking anyone in the eye and almost never speaking; I didn't count, but I'd be surprised if he said more than 50 words in the whole movie. Inside the tortured, terrified shell is a sweet and gentle boy tired of being alone but with no idea how to come out; a chance encounter with an American girl on a train is especially touching and lovely.Thomas Schubert, the totally inexperienced actor who plays him (never even in a school play, and went to the audition only because a friend he wanted to see was going) does it all with his eyes, his face, and his body language. To say it's a powerful performance is a pitifully inadequate understatement. He is amazing.This is a very, very great movie, the first feature written and directed by Austrian actor Karl Markovics. It is quiet and unpredictable and deeply moving, with none of the cheap emotional manipulation, gut-wrenching melodrama and gratuitous plot twists I was afraid of after a lifetime of watching American movies. Breathing is beautiful, simple, powerful and profoundly satisfying.

shatguintruo 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).

slaytonbourdon The actor Karl Markovics has made a beautifully low-key directorial debut with this rumination on freedom, mortality and coming-of-age and the parallels between these things. He has a gift for imbuing a 'slice of life' story with a narrative engine that supplies tension and interest despite "not much happening" on screen, and his visual style is very well developed for a debut.His greatest gift is directing actors - the ensemble here is magnificent. But he shouldn't take all the credit for the performing here - Thomas Schubert in the lead gives one of the best debut performances I've ever seen, completely lucid, emotionally immediate and "there", creating a tangible character that, over the course of the film, we get to know as closely as a good friend. He's a total natural, but that's not to say that he lends his characterisation a calculation and rigorous emotionality on par with the best professionals. Here's hoping for a long career ahead of him.