Kevin Whitaker

American Storytellers movie trailer - starring Forest Whitaker, Harold Ramis, John Sayles, Kevin Mukherji, John McNaughton. Directed by Kevin Mukherji. Theatrical Release Date: 11/21/2003 Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated

Four short fables in which characters collide with fate and each other comprise THE AIR I BREATHE, an ambitious and absorbing drama from debuting director/writer Jieho Lee. Boasting a brilliant ensemble cast, the film is inspired by a Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four key emotions Happiness, Sorrow, Pleasure, and Love and each vignette is built around a character who embodies one of these key emotions. In Happiness, 2006 Best Actor Oscar Winner Forest Whitaker stars as a timid banker who impulsively bets every cent he has, and then some, on a supposedly sure thing. In Sorrow, Sarah Michelle Gellar is a rising pop star whose contract falls under the control of a ruthless crime boss (Oscar-nominee Andy Garcia), and his corrupt nephew (Emile Hirsch). In Pleasure, Brendan Fraser stars as a man who can see into the future of everyone he meets, but is totally blind when it comes to his own; and in Love, Kevin Bacon plays a doctor who pines for a woman he can never possess (Julie Delpy), only to find that he suddenly holds her life in his hands. Though each of the characters believes that his or her life is governed by hazard and chance, their unbridled emotions, impulsive choices, and reckless moves all prove one universal truth: character is destiny, and each of us makes our own fate.

Forever linked together by ruthless crime boss Fingers (Andy Garcia) and a series of unpredictable twists of fate, the characters of The Air I Breathe weave together in an existential study in luck, both good and bad. Director Jieho Lee divides this vast tale into four distinct threads: a timid businessman (Forest Whitaker) bets his life on a horse race after he discovers the fix is in; a fragile pop star (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds her management contract unexpectedly in jeopardy; a gangster (Brendan Fraser) who sees the future must decide whether to follow his visions; and an doctor (Kevin Bacon) tries to save the love of his life from a deadly injury. As the world keeps spinning and these individual tales give way to hidden connections and underlying similarities, The Air I Breathe uses this unlikely mix of drama and characters to dramatize an ancient Chinese proverb that evokes life s four emotional cornerstones: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. It s when these four overlapping stories come to a head, however, and these emotions unexpectedly surface, collide and explode, that the movie suggests our destiny whether it is steeped in sweet sorrow or tragic happiness may ultimately be something we bring on ourselves. Lee fluidly maneuvers between the storylines, letting the pieces fall together organically until the final climax. The phenomenal ensemble cast, including Julie Delpy and Emile Hirsch, moves through all the twists and turns with ease as the cleverly constructed vignettes unite in an emotionally resonant whole.

Interview with director Kevin Macdonald on working with Forest Whitaker.