<img src="http://parcom.pronetworks.org/images/0501air.jpg" align="right" alt="air i breathe"></img><font color="maroon">by Larry Richman </font>
<font color="gray" size="1">April 30, 2007 8:10 PM</font>
I thank everyone sincerely for all the nice comments to my post about <em>The Air I Breathe</em>. I received many questions so I'll try to answer them here as best as I can.
<em>Would you consider the movie to be an Oscar contender?</em>
That's a tough one. I was actually thinking about that all the way through, especially since there were hundreds of comments online over the last few months about Sarah Michelle Gellar's prospects. But it's pretty much an ensemble cast so no one actor really was the "star" of the film. Andy Garcia may have had the most screen time. But it's probably Andy and Brendan Fraser who have the biggest roles. More than Sarah I think.
Most of the characters don't really have major arcs in terms of performance. Without giving anything away, they pretty much are solid throughout but consistent in their characterizations. Sarah's role was different. She has to display a wide range of emotions, more than the others in my opinion. So to the extent that the Academy likes that sort of thing, I think she may have a shot at it. But it may not have been a large enough role.
<em>I heard from another poster that was at the premiere that Brendan Fraser also has a sex scene. I love him & without any spoilers, can you confirm this? Thanks again!</em>
Hmm...let's just say that fans will not be disappointed!
<em>Will this movie be rated R?</em>
I cannot imagine any way that it would not be rated R. It has a lot of violence, language, and sexual content.
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I know you may hear this 1000 times but how was the performance and the character from Sarah Michelle Gellar?</em>
I was very impressed. I think I may have posted before seeing the film that I was not a huge fan. Not that I didn't like her -- just that I wasn't really seeing the film because she was in it. So I really focused on her performance to see what all the fuss was about. She was amazing, really. It took a while for it to sink in, since her character is very tortured and goes through a lot emotionally and physically. She is a very very brave actress. She took a lot of risks and put a lot into it. I think she will surprise a lot of people.
<em>How was the music? And how was Sarah's character and what was her performance like? Was it really sad??
please answer me its very important to me!</em>
Great questions. Of all the things I pay attention to, the soundtrack is always the first thing I focus on. It plays a major role in this movie, almost like another character. It has an Asian feel, not just because of the filmmaker's background but because it is based on a Chinese proverb. It was quite haunting. Was Sarah's character and performance really sad? Yes, about as sad as you can get.
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I can only just imagine how relieved Bob and Jieho must be to have it out of the way. Any word on a distributor picking this thing up for national release?</em>
I actually spoke with Jieho, Bob, and Chris (producer) afterward and that was basically what I said first (about being relieved at the event finally taking place). As far as a release is concerned, nothing that was officially announced by anyone with the film. But I was told by a source that the Weinsteins and ThinkFilm are both interested. I think it will be a big release. Those are just my thoughts, though.
Thanks to all for the great questions!
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