The raw Austrian drama “Breathing” marks two audacious debuts: the first time in the director’s chair for actor Karl Markovics (“The Counterfeiters,” 2007) and Thomas Schubert’s premiere as an actor. He plays 19-year-old Roman, who was abandoned by his mother and raised in an orphanage. Now confined to a juvenile prison for killing another boy in a brawl, Roman is seeking release on parole, but he first needs to get and hold a job.
Answering a newspaper ad, he wins a daytime-release job transporting corpses for the Vienna morgue. His functions also involve washing and dressing the dearly departed.
Roman’s fellow workers go about their job with the emotionless efficiency of an assembly line. In a masterfully executed scene, Roman’s crew cares for the body of an elderly woman found dead on the floor of her apartment. They carry the corpse to her bed, where they gently wash and dress it in preparation for the funeral. But, be warned, not all scenes are as delicate as this one.
By chance, one of the bodies Roman encounters has the same surname as he does, sending the dark-haired lad on a search for the mom he’s never known.
Markovics’ style recalls the work of Belgium’s well-regarded Dardenne brothers, especially their 2002 “The Son,” which has much in common with “Breathing.” The new film’s strongest point is the assured performance by Schubert, who’s in nearly every frame. Elegant cinematography by Martin Gschlacht, one of Austria’s most sought-after lensers, gives “Breathing” added depth.