Rik Verheye

Don’t be fooled by the bright colors and exotic parrots, Nicolas Keppens brings out the pain and poignancy of a toxic male friendship in this idiosyncratic animated short—a big hit at Berlinale. Imagine Beavis and Butt-head as despondent Belgian hipsters with big dreams, and you’re getting close.

Tom (Stef Aerts) and his brother Lucas (Maarten Mertens) are young men who suffer from cystic fybrosis, a genetic disease that slowly destroys their lungs. Tom is struggling to cope with his short life expectancy and hangs around with a gang of hoodlums. In the hospital, he meets Xavier (Wouter Hendrickx), a young man suffering from the same illness but behaving like a top athlete. Xavier is a confirmed optimist, even when he is dumped by his girlfriend Anneleen (Marie Vinck). Tom takes in Xavier’s energy and joy of life. He roams the hospital grounds and falls for the charms of quirky Eline (Anemone Valcke), who has been quarantined for months due to an infection. They are not allowed to touch and can only talk to each other over the phone. Yet, they start a romance. When Tom’s brother Lucas dies during lung transplantation surgery, Tom is inconsolable. He seeks refuge among his rough friends, avoids Xavier and breaks up with Eline. But one day, he again crosses Xavier’s path who gives him back his taste for life… OXYGEN is compelling, romantic, funny and heart-breaking. It’s a drama about having little time and not wanting to miss out on anything.