Breathless might not leave you breathless, but it's bound to leave an impression. Yang Ik June's remarkable debut film about broken men and broken families provides a brutally honest look into the conditions and consequences of household violence. Many punches are thrown in Breathless, many of them by the story's uncontrollable (anti)hero, but it's no more violence than can be found in other films. There is, however, no thrill or excitement in Breathless's fierce beatings and casual cuffs, but rather an overwhelming sense of discomfort about how realistic and prevalent the film's flawed people and harrowing circumstances are. This unsettling realism at times makes the film hard to look at, but harder yet to look away.

Yang himself stars in the leading role of Sang Hoon, a relentlessly angry and aggressive debt collector who beats people up for a living - which is just as well because he also likes to beat people up for the heck of it. A frequent victim of his fist is his father, a once abusive man who accidentally stabbed his daughter, Sang Hoon's sister, to death years ago and was only recently released from prison. Sang Hoon can neither forgive nor forget the past, and brutishly lashes out at all those unfortunate enough to cross his path. He does develop a soft spot for his young nephew and for Yeon Hee (Kim Kkot Bi), a high school girl with a mouth as foul as his and an abusive family environment of her own to deal with. Their first chance meeting consists mostly of slapping, spitting, shoving, and screaming, and yet from that rough encounter begins a valuable friendship that transforms their lives.

As two hard-headed people who put up a tough front but see through to each other's vulnerability, Yang Ik June and Kim Kkot Bi's dynamic chemistry as Sang Hoon and Yeon Hee brightens the film amid the depressing subject material. Their relationship serves as the core of the story, and their foul-mouthed bickering provides the film's lightest moments. Yang strikes a good balance in making the two protagonists' relationship comfortable, compelling, and chaste, an innocent and sincere bond in a complicated world. Their relationship turns Sang Hoon into an empathetic character, which in turn earns some understanding for Yeon Hee's blank brother, the weakest character of the film but set up effectively as a mirror of the young Sang Hoon.

Clocking in at over two hours, Breathless could use some editing to make it less raw and long-winded in exposition, but the film never outstays its welcome as is. For a directorial debut it is a great achievement, all the more so because Yang is equally effective in front of and behind the camera. The story he tells, however familiar, is a poignant one, and the flawed families, volatile violence, and messy humanity he throws on screen feel realistically rough. For those hoping to learn some Korean curses, Breathless's profanity-laden dialogue would also provide a good reference.