Breathe - by Justin Chandra

Nice story. I thought the male lead did a nice job, but did not think the female lead held up quite as well. Overall, interesting concept that really held my interest throughout. Congrats on this entry. I look forward to seeing more from you.
 
The first and last minute of this was superb. The middle needed some work. The dubbed audio is what really threw me. It was synched okay for the most part but the levels weren't consistent with the rest of the film. Everything after she walks away and he reels in pain was amazing though. Keep it up.
 
Danielleus said:
From the writer:

"So one day Eric discovers while relaxing in the tub (same tub his gf killed herself in) that he can somehow manipulate what he perceives as time. He thinks he can go back in time and review the events of the night his gf killed herself. Eric is not really going back in time, he is more or less going deeper and deeper into his own memory and replaying the events in his own mind. When he goes underwater he enters an extreme form of relaxation and meditation, thus his entrance into his own memories. Sadly the amount of time Eric can stay within this memory is affected by the amount of time he can stay underwater, which at first is not very long. Eric builds a contraption that forces him to stay underwater, and in turn stay in his memory longer. He learns to stay under longer and longer, with the aid of increasingly heavier amounts of weight. Eventually he loads the device with more weight than he himself weighs, and stays back for the entire event. However, being pinned and going so far into his own mind, Eric looses track of his own conciousness in the tub. He slowly starts to drown."
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That is a wicked cool concept! Is there a longer cut? I think it'd work better as a 10 or 15 minute short perhaps. I watched it the first time without knowing this, I still enjoyed it, but knowing the concept makes the film much better.

I also was reminded of PRIMER when watching this. I think it's the scene when he's dropping the weights on the scale that triggered it.
 
Really liked the movie, great use of sound! The opening is creepy. I must say at first i suspected the movie to become a bit boring soon, there are just too many movies out there, that totally rely on their modd, without much going on. But your movie really was different and began to develop, just at the right moment.

I liked the two actors, although there were some weak moments. Really liked the whispering voice of the girl (it somehow reminded me of Lord of the rings) The lightning and framing was beautiful, also during the conversation, but for my taste just a bitt to dark in that scene.

Didnt totally understand it at first, but that didnt bother me really (and thats rare).

Enjoyed it!
 
I haven't read any posts here, so sorry for any repeats.

Great job. The story was right up my alley. Excellent composition... the only part that threw me a hair was the argument in the room. I'm not sure if it was the dialog, the acting, or composition... but something was a bit off. Not so much that it hurt the story though. Love the shots in the bathroom, at the desk, of the contraption, scale, reflection, etc. All great. I like that you didn't feel the need to show how the contraption worked or validate it in any way... just enough so that I could put the pieces together.

The color and overall feel were great also. The style was along the lines of The Machinist... ill, distant, and empty.

Great job.
 
snodart said:
The style was along the lines of The Machinist...

Great job.
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That's funny I was thinking the same thing. The Machinist meets The Jacket meets Primer.

I really liked this one a lot. I liked the fact that it had a bit of Sci-Fi but was still 100% drama. I really liked the whole idea of you never know when a moment might be your last so treat them all with the respect they deserve. Life is fragile treat people like you might not see them again.

The short was well done. Your set design was great. That bathtub was awesome. The contraption was cool and like Snodart, I felt you showed enough to know what it did but didn't need to explain it too much.
The acting was pretty good but I think during the argument some over the shoulder shots could have gone along way in making the two feel like they were part of the same scene. I liked your use of sound and cuts during the 'time is almost up' section. Well done. I also liked how the male lead delivered his last lines as if he was out of breath. The one thing that really bugged me was the level of the water in the bath tub. There is one shot where he is supposed to be suffocating and his nose and a bit of his mouth break the surface. He could have easily taken a breath.

Great job. This one is high on my list.
 
I really enjoyed this short. It was very edgy. The acting was a bit weak, but it didn't take away from the story. I'm finding this to be the norm for most of the shorts in the contest though.
 
Really liked the editing the camera work and the overall visual style that said the acting almost took me out of it... lets see if i can explain. sometimes ok acting can be overcome by the type of movie it is,,, but your camera and post work was really good and to me the ok acting was glaring in comparison. That being said, its in my keeper folder so i can learn cool visual styles like you !
 
Hey all, thanks again for all the feedback. Yeah, in response to all the acting issues -- i think everyone on our end has acknowledged that it's flawed. The shooting schedule was very tight - 2 to 3 evenings, really. The director also didn't have a chance to really work with his actors, I think he met with them once before with very little rehearsal time... No excuses though; we're proud of what's here, regardless. :)

Really glad you guys are responding to the film well (for the most part) and the comparisons to Primer, the Machinist, Jacket, Butterfly Effect - man that's cool. And after seeing a lot of the other films in the fest it's neat to be in such good company!
 
I agree with jojopop is saying that we're thrilled to be in such great company. Even better, though, is to get the helpful and constructive criticism that we've been receiving from such talented folks!!! Thanks a bunch guys. I haven't had time to make the rounds but I've seen most of the films and love what I'm seeing.

Again, thanks for watching guys and thanks for the comments. Next time, we're gonna reherse more.
 
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