The "Asthma" by writer-director Jake Hoffman has a nifty irony for a short time.

The film's slacker-junkie hero Gus (Benedict Samuel), challenged by weakening bronchial asthma bouts that leave him gasping for air, is just enough of a charming kook that "Asthma" is imbued with a 1960s-like, anti-establishment spirituality.

In other words, in a way that Gus can not, "Asthma" breathes with the wealthy oxygen of chance.

As a listener, it also feels nice to absorb the heady atmosphere of Hoffman. He steals a Rolls-Royce, picks up the lovely Ruby ("Jessica Jones'" Krysten Ritter in an Audrey Hepburn-like role) and heads out of Manhattan for woody Connecticut after Gus fails a suicide attempt (which literally includes whiting himself out with paint).

Following the short road trip, the infectious pleasure of dismissing boring ancient real-world normalcy is set to a jangling pop soundtrack. The same feeling of exploration and openness endures when there is a mishap with the vehicle that leaves Gus and Ruby walking for miles, embracing both the plot and the difficult but emerging relationship of the characters.

But then Hoffman (Dustin Hoffman's son, and an actor in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" playing the shoe salesman) shifts course. Once the pair reaches a cult-like hipster society, the tale becomes of Ruby attempting to maintain up with Gus as his demons chase him. "Asthma" becomes flat, and much less sympathetic becomes Gus.

A cast that involves Rosanna Arquette in a short scene, Nick Nolte voicing a drug-induced waswolf appearance and a Goran Visnjic as a guru that is scarcely recognizable adds interest and fun. The bleached visuals of Hoffman cannily indicate the worn out spirit of Gus.

But "Asthma" loses its spark and momentum long before the midpoint- a real deception.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film for many reasons. Firstly i feel that it was shot in such a way to make the viewer feel extremely involved in all that was happening. It almost was done in an intimate way to make one feel like they were watching something they shouldn't. Its as if the madness was happening in your own backyard. The music was perfect!!! It added so much feeling to an already emotionally charged scene. I'd love to have a track list!! I felt invested in the characters and could heavily relate to falling in love with a car crash of a human. I also enjoyed the surprising strangeness of it all. I found the dialogue relatable as well as the situations the characters were involved or wound up in. Highly recommended. Hats off to the writer/director. Would love to see more of his work.

The story just needs a bit more time in the oven. Gus and the stumble of characters and situations that happen in this rake's bare progress are all likable and earnest with charming quirks even when it includes a suggestion of cannibalism--or was that a mere socio-political statement? It's all slightly off, like the eucalyptus grove in the Connecticut woods setting. The soundtrack has the hipness the film aspires to but doesn't quite live up to despite the junkie jade and pro to-punk references (which includes a real live reference in the form of an Iggy Pop cameo). I'm thinking about this film more than I expected and perhaps more than I care to. And is it truly devastating blow to a woman when a man passes out while still inside?