Character Relationship Map: Breathing

Characters

• Roman Kogler (played by Thomas Schubert) — protagonist

  Roman Kogler is a 19-year-old prisoner in an Austrian juvenile detention centre and the film's central figure. He begins a trial placement as a mortuary attendant to strengthen his parole prospects, g...

• Walter Fakler (played by Gerhard Liebmann) — supporting

  Walter Fakler is Roman's probation counselor, responsible for helping him meet the conditions for parole. After Roman's failed metalworking interview, Walter retrieves him from the roadside, drives hi...

• Young Woman (played by Magdalena Kronschläger) — minor

  Young Woman appears through her naked corpse when Roman encounters it during his work at the mortuary. Because she shares Roman's surname, he panics and fears that she may be his dead mother. Learning...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Roman Kogler → Walter Fakler (Professional Probation Counselor) — Fakler supervises Roman's rehabilitation and parole preparation.

  Walter Fakler is identified as Roman Kogler's probation counselor and meets him after the failed metalworking interview.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Roman Kogler → Young Woman (Conflict Victim) — The Young Woman represents the irreversible consequence of Roman's past crime.

  The ending states that Roman visits the grave of his teenage victim, establishing the Young Woman as someone harmed by Roman.

Story Analysis

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

Plot Progression

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.