Leticia Tonos’s “Aire, Just Breathe” is a contemporary yet recognizable flick depicting a post-apocalyptic future. The movie comes at an appropriate time with concerns about climate change, shortages of natural resources, and advanced AI seeping into every aspect of our daily lives. This Dominican sci-fi film imagines a stark dystopian future. Despite its striking visuals, the movie fails to evoke significant emotional resonance.
The storyline is set in 2147, and protagonist Tania (Sophie Gaëlle) has learned to survive in her solitary existence. Everyday, she nurtures what scarce vegetation she can grow in her underground bunker. Tania is accompanied by her AI partner, Vida, voiced by Paz Vega. Despite not having seen another human for a long while, Tania keeps fostering life in her desolate habitation. Vida brings color to her otherwise monotonous solitary life.
Unlike mere voices, Vida appears as a luminous circle imprinted on a large-scale sculpture of a face, closely resembling HAL from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Vida is referred to as a "creative intelligence system" and learns not only from data and written content but also from observing Tania over the years. Their goal: to sustain Tania's life, she playing the role of a future procreator.
A stranger named Azarias (Jalsen Santana) disrupts their secluded world when he suddenly appears at their bunker. His intentions and influence on their future unfold as the storyline progresses.
Unlike Tania's robotic part, Azarias is portrayed as more human, exuding warmth. Their future as well as humanity's fate hang in the balance as their reliance on technology and nature's call is put into perspective.
In the midst of harsh climatic conditions and a toxic atmosphere, “Aire, Just Breathe” exposes a bleak vision of the future dominated by brutalist designs and absent color. There's a coldness to the film, emphasized by the arrival of Azarias, hinting at perhaps an untapped future beyond their bunker.
The film uses familiar imagery borrowed from popular sci-fi movies such as “Dune,” “Blade Runner” and “Interstellar.” These elements are reshaped to focus on current global issues that are becoming more of a reality than dystopian fiction.
Tonos paints a desolate world, with raging storms and the constant survival threat to the characters. Vida's function becomes crucial throughout the film, as she controls the air purification system in the bunker. While “Aire, Just Breathe” offers a fresh take within Caribbean cinema, it falls back on clichéd sci-fi themes and an anticipated final act. Overall, it provides thought-provoking commentary on technological climate crises, a theme that continues to be urgent and necessary.
