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Director's Statement
The films that have made a difference in my life are those where you feel a certain necessity. Stories that are charged with an emotional truth so strong it resonates long after the credits have rolled. The main characters in OXYGEN are two young men who struggle with their mortality. They’re cystic fibrosis patients and have been pushed around a lot at a young age. One of them prefers a life in denial, rather than facing his demons head-on. The other, arrogant and proud, constantly pushes his limits beyond his capacities. Both are fighters in their own way and their fates are forever intertwined. What interested me most was the precious balance between hope and despair, the fear of what is to come infused with the manic energy of a shortened lifespan. Commenting on my own experiences as a CF patient proved to be key element in developing the script. By polarizing and staging my own inner conflicts, I made a lot of abstract fears more palpable somehow. It’s something that the cast and crew intuitively picked up on while shooting the film. Their willingness to dive into a universe so utterly unknown to them was heart-warming. I sensed we were on to something potent once we entered post-production. It felt fresh, somehow, this story about young bodies with old souls. In the end, OXYGEN proved to be a celebration of life, however ironic and unfair it might sometimes be.