66
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80EmpireDavid ParkinsonEmpireDavid ParkinsonBest known until now for Oscar-winning holocaust drama "The Counterfeiters," Karl Markovics flexes his muscles on the other side of the camera with terrific effect. A fine, moving debut for the new writer/director.
- 80The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThe "breathing" of the title becomes a cleverly recurrent motif, and 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.
- 80Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearAn Austrian actor whose Easter-Island mug has graced movies such as the Oscar-nominated "The Counterfeiters" (2007), Markovics shows a keen attention to performers that you'd expect from a thespian-turned-director.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThe new film's strongest point is the assured performance by Schubert, who's in nearly every frame. Elegant cinematography by Martin Gschlacht, one of Austria's most sought-after lensers, gives Breathing added depth.
- As a collaboration Breathing owes much to the balanced compositions, lucid imagery and judicious use of color executed by Mr. Gschlacht, who brought a similarly clear gaze to morally fraught work by other Austrian directors (Götz Spielmann's "Revanche," Jessica Hausner's "Lourdes," Michael Glawogger's "Slumming").
- 60Total FilmTotal FilmThoughtfully shot by first-time director Karl Markovics, the only warmth comes from the stiffening cadavers.
- 50Slant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierSlant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierCan a film be faulted for being too sympathetic toward its characters, for limning a milieu with extraneous humanism?
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceA 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.