Take a Deep Breath

Infobox Film
name = Diši duboko/ Take a Deep Breath


caption = Jelena Djokić and Ana Franić as Lana and Saša, a scene from the movie
director = Dragan Marinković
writer = Hajdana Baletić
producer = Danica Milojković
production = Norga Investment Inc. & DV Solution
starring = Mira Furlan
Bogdan Diklić
Ana Franić
Jelena Đokić
Nikola Đuričko
music = Vladan Marković
sound design = Zoran Maksimović
Ognjen Popić
sound mix = Branko Neškov
costume = Jasmina Sanader
make-up = Stanislava Zarić
scenography = Biljana & Dragan Sovilj
director of photography = Boris Gortinski
released = November 9, 2004 (SRB)
runtime = 80 min.
country = flagicon|SRB
language = Serbian
imdb_id = 0368689

"Take a Deep Breath" (Serbian: Диши дубоко, Diši duboko) is a 2004 Serbian film, directed by Dragan Marinković and written by Hajdana Baletić. This drama is often referred to as the "first Serbian LGBT feature film", even though the writer herself stresses that it is more about the generation gap in the modern family. [ [http://www.queeria.com/Film.aspx?id=2478&grid=2051&page=1 Queeria - Film: DIŠI DUBOKO ] ] The premiere was held on November 8 2004 in Belgrade's Sava Center.

Tagline

The key note quotes American comedian George Carlin:"... And always remember: life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away..."

Plot

The movie starts at family dinner where Saša (Ana Franić), a discontent Belgrade University law student who is still living with her parents, informs them about a decision to follow her boyfriend Stefan (Branislav Tomašević) to Canada where he got a job offer to coach water polo. The parents who thought the young couple were about to announce plans for marriage can hardly hide their disappointment at this unexpected turn of events. Saša's father Miloš (Bogdan Diklić), a conservative judge, is especially not happy that she will be leaving her studies. Saša also tells them that she's moving in with Stefan while her visa application is processed before two of them leave the dinner in a bit of a huff.

Immediately after, driving back to Stefan's apartment, they get into a car accident. Luckily they both survive: Saša only with scratches and Stefan with minor head and leg injuries that require hospitalization. In the hospital Saša meets Stefan's sister Lana (Jelena Đokić), a charming photographer who lives in Paris. While Saša is being released from the hospital on the same day she wakes up, Stefan is being held for couple of weeks more.

While he recoveres there, his sister seems to forget the original intention of her arrival to Serbia, which was to look after Stefan until he felt better, and spends all her time with Saša. Saša, who is originally irritated by Lana, is being slowly seduced by her, and goes through the path of anger, denial, acceptance and outing in the timespan of only few days.

Her parents, busy with their own separation and divorce, don't notice their daughter's love life confusion right away - more precisely, they have to be told so. Both of them react very differently. Mother (Mira Furlan), who has just realized that life should not be wasted in compromises but should be lived to the fullest, is very happy that her daughter has finally found true love. On the other hand, Saša's father who tries to keep his family together at all costs, becomes very unstable and angry after hearing the news, which for him represents the last drop.

While this movie supports the gay right to love and to be loved freely and openly, in the same time it condemns a homosexual and every other kind of pedophilia by showing how deep is the trauma that a sexual abuse at the young age left on Saša's father. Releasing all his suppressed anger, he has Lana followed and arrested for one night on a traffic violation account, which results in Lana's change of spirit - from joyful but a little superficial and inconsiderate girl she becomes a crushed pessimist, decided to escape the troublesome situation. She confronts Stefan and breaks up with Saša, telling her that "it was a nice dream" and that "she wishes for her to fall in love again", suggesting that she herself could not love again. She leaves for Paris, and things eventually work out for Stefan, who splits for Canada with a nurse from the hospital, and for Saša's mother, who moves to Vienna with her new husband and her little stepdaughter. Saša's father dies on, so to say, the consequences of his invented heart condition and Saša is left completely alone to stand still in a world where everybody else seems to be going places, even though in different directions.

A viewer is being left with a distinct feeling of "plots behind the plot", i.e. there are several stories from the life of the protagonists, which are implied but not told. Those are for example: the story about Stefan's and Lana's childhood and their relationship in general; the story about Saša's father's youth and marriage; the relationship between Saša's father and his assistant; and the most important - what has happened that night in prison and why has Lana decided to drop the fight so quickly. Although it may sound as a disadvantage of the scenario, it acctually complements it (except, maybe, the unclearance of Lana's mindchanging).

Cast

* Ana Franić as Saša
* Jelena Đokić as Lana
* Mira Furlan as Lila
* Bogdan Diklić as Miloš
* Branislav Tomašević as Stefan
* Nikola Đuričko as Bojan
* Goran Šušljik as Siniša
* Ana Sakić as Ines
* Bojan Dimitrijević as Zoran
* Jelena Helc as the head nurse
* Tatjana Torbica as nurse
* Danijela Mihajlović as cleaning lady
* Mihajlo-Bata Paskaljević as grandpa
* Petar Kralj as doctor
* Milan Marić as Miki

Soundtrack

The most popular song from the film is a composition "Ja te sanjam" ("I Dream About You"), by Vladan Marković and performed by Jovana Nikolić.

References

* [http://www.queeria.com/Film.aspx?id=2478&grid=2051&page=1]

External links

*
* [http://www.balconn.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=323&Itemid=105 Diši duboko] at BaLConn