Breathing (2011) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A young prisoner gradually awakens emotionally while confronting institutional confinement, his mother, and the moral weight of his past.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

A Road Without Direction

Roman fails a metalworking interview and is returned to juvenile detention by Walter Fakler. Institutional routines establish Roman's isolation and resistance to help.

Key Events

• Failed Welding Interview — Roman lies about his welding skills and recoils when the foreman moves a welder's mask toward his face. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Metalworking factory
• The Empty Road — Roman walks toward an unreachable horizon until Walter's car blocks his path and stops. Characters: Roman Kogler, Walter Fakler Location: Empty roadway
• Return to Prison — Walter drives Roman back to prison, hands him a newspaper, and expects a meeting on Monday. Characters: Roman Kogler, Walter Fakler Location: Road and prison entrance
• Institutional Strip Search — Roman disrobes and undergoes the routine strip search required when he re-enters the prison. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Juvenile detention centre
• Locked Cell Routine — The prison doors are locked at the end of the day, leaving Roman alone in his cell. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Prison cell hallway
• Swimming Alone — Roman dives and swims laps while the other prisoners ignore him and he ignores them. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Indoor swimming pool

Learning the Mortuary

Roman begins a trial month at a Vienna mortuary and encounters corpses, hostile work conditions, and repetitive transport work. A released bird briefly disrupts his emotional numbness.

Key Events

• Train Commute — Roman commutes to Vienna by train and repeatedly passes an advertisement inviting viewers to dive into adventure. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Train to Vienna
• Mortuary Trial Begins — Roman begins a trial month as a mortuary attendant and initially observes the work. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Vienna mortuary
• First Corpse Encounters — Roman encounters corpses during the mortuary operation and barely suppresses his disgust and horror. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Vienna mortuary
• Hostile Coworker — One coworker initially behaves in a hostile manner toward Roman as he learns the job. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Vienna mortuary
• Bird at Emergency Exit — A small bird startles Roman; he opens the emergency exit, lets it escape, and follows it outside. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Mortuary workroom

The Surname Revelation

A dead young woman sharing Roman's surname makes him fear that his mother has died. After learning this is not true, he searches for and approaches his mother.

Key Events

• Surname on the Corpse — Roman encounters the naked corpse of a young woman who shares his surname. Characters: Roman Kogler, Young Woman Location: Vienna mortuary
• Fear of Losing His Mother — Roman panics at the possibility that the corpse might be his mother. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Vienna mortuary
• Search for His Mother — After confirming the corpse is not his mother, Roman finds out where she lives and follows her. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Vienna
• Encounter in IKEA — Roman follows his mother into an IKEA store and sees her lying on one of the beds like a corpse. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: IKEA store
• Invented Future — Roman tells his mother that he is a diving instructor and will soon go to New Zealand. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Mother's flat

A Past That Breathes

Roman reconnects with his mother and asks why she gave him up. Her confession about trying to suffocate him as a baby exposes a traumatic family history before the parole hearing and grave visit.

Key Events

• Question About Abandonment — Roman asks why his mother gave him up, and she says it was the best thing she did in her life. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Mother's flat
• Confession Outside Mortuary — Roman's mother confronts him after his shift and reveals that she once tried to suffocate him as a baby. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Outside the Vienna mortuary
• Parole Hearing — Roman attends the parole hearing after completing the period leading toward his employment qualification. Characters: Roman Kogler Location: Parole hearing venue
• Visit to the Victim's Grave — After leaving the hearing, Roman visits the grave of his teenage victim. Characters: Roman Kogler, Young Woman Location: Cemetery

Story Breakdown

• Failed Rehabilitation — Roman's first attempt to meet parole-related employment expectations collapses immediately.
  • False Welding Claim — Roman lies about his welding ability during the factory interview.
  • Fear Of The Mask — He recoils and emits a stifled scream when the welder's mask approaches his face.
• Institutional Confinement — The detention centre reinforces Roman's isolation through repetitive routines.
  • Repeated Strip Searches — Roman undergoes ritualized searches whenever he returns to prison.
  • Solitary Swimming — He swims laps while remaining emotionally separate from the other prisoners.
• Walter's Supervision — Walter Fakler tries to steer Roman toward work and parole preparation.
  • Roadside Retrieval — Walter stops his car and collects Roman after the failed interview.
  • Newspaper Instructions — Walter gives Roman a newspaper and directs him to search the job advertisements.
• Mortuary Awakening — The mortuary job exposes Roman to death while small incidents begin to disturb his numbness.
  • Corpse Handling — Roman learns the routine work of transporting corpses through the Vienna mortuary system.
  • Bird's Escape — He frees a startled bird through an emergency exit and follows it outside.
• Maternal Search — A corpse with Roman's surname drives him to investigate whether his mother is dead and then locate her.
  • Surname Shock — Roman panics when a young woman's corpse appears to share his surname.
  • IKEA Encounter — He follows his mother into an IKEA store and sees her lying on a bed.
• Traumatic Confession — Roman's renewed contact with his mother reveals a disturbing explanation for his abandonment.
  • Question Of Abandonment — Roman asks why his mother gave him up.
  • Suffocation Revelation — His mother says she once tried to suffocate him with a pillow when he was a baby.
• Confronting The Past — The parole hearing and grave visit place Roman's possible future beside the consequences of his past.
  • Parole Hearing — Roman leaves the hearing after the period connected to his employment qualification.
  • Victim's Grave — He visits the grave of his teenage victim, acknowledging the lasting consequence of his crime.

Directed by

Karl Markovics

Key Cast

• Thomas Schubert — Roman Kogler
• Karin Lischka — Margit Kogler
• Georg Friedrich — Rudolf Kienast
• Gerhard Liebmann — Walter Fakler
• Stefan Matousch — Gerhard Schorn