‘Aire, Just Breathe’ Review: Dystopian Sci-Fi Rooted in Fears of AI and Human Extinction Feels All Too Familiar

As a movie reviewer who’s seen more films than I can remember, and having lived through the early warnings of climate change since the 90s, I must say that “Aire, Just Breathe” is a chilling reminder of our potential future. The film’s stark visuals and haunting performances by Sophie Gaëlle and Jalsen Santana are as breathtakingly beautiful as they are heart-wrenchingly bleak.

In 2024, there are numerous scenarios for grim dystopian futures that one might envision. This isn’t just due to the expanding collection of films depicting humanity’s darkest outcomes, but because we are constantly bombarded with news about climate catastrophes, articles on diminishing natural resources, and concerns about AI advancing too rapidly. It is this very reality that makes Leticia Tonos’s “Aire, Just Breathe” both remarkably relevant and strikingly relatable. This Dominican sci-fi film offers a stark portrayal of a desolate future, one that visually impresses but ultimately lacks the emotional depth to truly resonate.

In the year 2147, Tania (Sophie Gaëlle) lives independently in a bunker she now calls home. Each day, she awakens and tends to the few plants she manages to grow underground. She may be the last human alive, following the Great Chemical War that pushed humanity towards extinction. Nevertheless, Tania remains dedicated to aiding life’s survival. With her reliable AI companion, affectionately named Vida or “life” (voiced by Paz Vega), she conducts reproductive experiments aimed at helping her bear a child. The daily routines have become monotonous, and the hope that once burned bright is now tinged with the ordinary routine of her isolated existence. It’s Vida who adds color to her world.

Without giving the impression that Vida is merely an auditory entity, it’s important to clarify that this artificial intelligence is visually represented as a radiant orb situated on the forehead of a large-scale sculpture of a face. If you recall HAL from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” you’re not too far off. There’s a blend of primal and advanced qualities in Vida; she prefers to be referred to as a “creative intelligence system” rather than artificial intelligence, having learned not just from data and literature but also from Tania’s actions for years on end. This extended learning has created such a strong bond between them that they seem to function as one unit, both of them striving towards the goal of keeping Tania alive and positioning her as a maternal figure for the future of humanity.

In their meticulously structured existence, everything suddenly halts when an enigmatic figure named Azarias (Jalsen Santana) arrives at the bunker. Is he an ally or an adversary? Is he a beacon of hope or a harbinger of doom? Will he aid in shaping a brighter tomorrow or is he intent on escaping the past? As these questions gradually unravel, Tonos transforms “Aire, Just Breathe” into a three-character production that revolves around the enduring question of what it takes to endure – and the measures we might have to take.

Gaëlle’s character Tania exhibits a rigid, almost mechanical behavior, whereas Santana’s Azarias is more relaxed and warm. The stark contrast in their approach towards trusting technology versus the allure of nature’s call significantly influences their interactions. As Vida follows Tania’s instruction to not rely on others, their fate (and potentially that of humanity) becomes increasingly precarious. This unfolds against a backdrop where their environment grows progressively more inhospitable due to strong winds, violent storms, and a toxic atmosphere overhead.

The film “Aire, Just Breathe” features a stark, minimalist aesthetic that underscores the cold, unforgiving world Tania inhabits as a means to endure. This bleak depiction of the future is nearly devoid of color, and even the small plants she cultivates in her cozy greenhouse appear weak when contrasted with the vast, echoing rooms she navigates daily.

There’s an unfeeling aesthetic to film and space alike. Azarias’s arrival, and his conviction that there may well be a future outside — out at sea, perhaps — feels like an affront to what Tania and Vida have been building, to their very co-existence. He’s dirtied and embodied in a way that Tania hasn’t or can’t will herself to be. Aesthetically, this sci-fi film may borrow from well-known iconic imagery (not just Kubrick’s AI, but the likes of “Dune,” “Blade Runner” and “Interstellar”). But it reworks some of their themes toward urgent concerns that start feeling less like dystopian nightmares and more like present-day emergencies.

In the movie “Aire, Just Breathe,” Tonos skillfully crafts a desolate world. Intense downpours set the stage for nail-biting scenes where you genuinely fret about the protagonists’ safety. The atmosphere around Tania and Azarias could potentially be their undoing. Keeping Vida operational and responsible for the air filtration system in the bunker becomes a critical plot point. Although innovative for Caribbean cinema, this film unfortunately leans heavily on familiar themes – especially when it veers towards a predictable and somewhat lackluster third act. Tonos’ visually stunning film is most thought-provoking as a critique of technology-induced climate catastrophes, a message that, while worn out, remains pertinent and arguably still essential in 2024.

2024-11-20 21:47

‘Aire, Just Breathe’ Review: Dystopian Sci-Fi Rooted in Fears of AI and Human Extinction Feels All Too Familiar

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