Watch The Air I Breathe

In the 2007 movie The Air I Breathe, four separate stories interconnect as the characters search for happiness, love, and meaning in their lives. The audience will follow the stories of the desperate hopes and dreams of each of these characters, from their unexpected encounters with fortune and adversity to their ultimate fates. The movie takes a philosophical approach to storytelling, drawing its inspiration from an ancient Chinese proverb, which describes the interconnectedness of happiness, pleasure, sorrow, and love. The four characters are named after these emotions, and their stories play out accordingly.

First, there is Happiness, played by Forest Whitaker. A simple man, Happiness is a frustrated, low-level bank employee, but his fortunes change after he incurs a large gambling debt that he cannot pay. However, his luck seemingly turns when he comes across Fingers, played by Andy Garcia, a local mob boss. Fingers tells Happiness that if he can keep his cool for one day, he will absolve his gambling debt. The catch is that if Happiness gets emotional, like when he is happy, he must pay Fingers ten times the money he owes him. Happiness throws caution to the wind and takes the bet. He spends the day living life without fear and discovers that the one thing he desires more than anything else is love.

Next, there is Pleasure, played by Brendan Fraser. He is a powerful businessman who prefers living life to the fullest with no commitments, including no connections with people. Pleasure's carefree attitude, however, is challenged when he crosses paths with Gina, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, a singer working for Fingers. Gina is willing to do anything for the chance to be a successful singer, but her dreams conflict with her conscience. As she and Pleasure interact, she makes him realize that he has been living his life solely to please himself and that he needs to feel connections to others to be truly happy.

Sorrow, played by Emile Hirsch, is a well-meaning man who wants to help his terminally ill sister. He wants to do everything he can to make her better, but he has limited financial resources. Sorrow's life changes when he becomes involved in a dangerous heist operation that introduces him to the world of the criminal underworld. Sorrow struggles with his emotions as he becomes more involved with Fingers, who may hold the key to finding a cure for his sister's illness.

Lastly, there is Love, a shy and lonely doctor played by Kevin Bacon, who seems to have everything except a happy relationship. Love has a heart consumed by sorrow, and he doesn't know how to find love or how to express himself to the one person he cares for, a patient of his. Love wants to make a meaningful connection with her and is willing to take any risk to do so. However, his obsession with his patient's well-being puts his life and the life of his patient at risk.

The Air I Breathe is a film that explores the human condition and seeks to answer the question of what makes life worth living. Told through the intersecting stories of the four characters, the movie follows their complex paths, filled with unexpected twists and turns. The talented cast delivers captivating performances and brings the story to life, while the well-written script allows each actor to fully explore the depth of their respective characters.

Overall, The Air I Breathe is a powerful and thought-provoking film that delves into the interconnectedness of human emotions and the intense desire for love and fulfillment.

The Air I Breathe is a 2007 thriller. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7 and a MetaScore of 37.