No Breathing (2013) Plot Summary Explained

Won-il quits swimming because he witnesses his father's sudden death during a no-breathing competition, which shatters his motivation to continue. The traumatic event, combined with the loss of his mother shortly after, leaves him feeling lost and empty, causing him to drift into reckless behavior instead of pursuing his swimming career.

Foreshadowing: The tragedy occurs during a competition that features his father's signature no-breathing technique, linking his father's death directly to the sport Won-il once loved.

• won-il
• swimming
• father death
• trauma
• quitting

No breathing is a swimming technique where the swimmer completes an entire length or more without taking a breath, requiring exceptional lung capacity and endurance. Won-il's father was a champion in this specialized move, and it was during a no-breathing race that he collapsed and died.

• no breathing
• swimming technique
• father
• competition

Woo-sang gets into trouble during the national tryouts, which results in his disqualification and forces him to restart his swimming career from scratch. This setback is what leads him to end up at the same physical education high school as Won-il, creating the opportunity for their rivalry to resume.

• woo-sang
• disqualification
• national tryouts
• swimming

Jae-seok, a longtime friend of Won-il's father, brings Won-il to the physical education high school as a way to rescue him from his downward spiral. Hoping that the discipline and structure of competitive sports will help Won-il reconnect with his passion for swimming and give his life direction again.

• jae-seok
• won-il
• phys-ed school
• motivation
• help

Jung-eun is Jae-seok's daughter who enters Won-il and Woo-sang's lives and captures the attention of both swimmers. Her presence adds a romantic dimension to the story and complicates the rivalry between the two athletes, influencing their motivations and the intensity of their competition.

• jung-eun
• romance
• love triangle
• won-il
• woo-sang

Initially, Won-il and Woo-sang view each other as competitors with Woo-sang being single-minded about winning. However, as they train together for the competition, their rivalry gradually evolves into mutual respect. They begin to see beyond just winning and develop a deeper understanding of each other as athletes and people.

• won-il
• woo-sang
• rivalry
• friendship
• respect
• competition

Won-il's motivation to swim again comes from multiple factors: Jae-seok's intervention to bring him to the phys-ed school, re-encountering his former rival Woo-sang, and the competitive environment that rekindles his passion for the sport. The combination of external support and the challenge posed by Woo-sang gives him a reason to return to the pool.

• won-il
• swimming again
• motivation
• rivalry
• competition

Yes, Won-il ultimately competes in the final swimming competition. After his period of recklessness and withdrawal from the sport, he returns to the pool to face Woo-sang in the big meet. The race represents the culmination of his personal journey and marks his full return to competitive swimming.

Foreshadowing: The timeline builds toward this climax as both swimmers train and prepare for the upcoming competition.

• competition
• final race
• won-il
• swimming
• climax

The ending is happy, following the hopeful tone established throughout the film. Won-il overcomes his trauma and returns to swimming, his rivalry with Woo-sang transforms into respect, and the story concludes with the characters experiencing personal growth and emotional resolution typical of sports drama genre conventions.

• ending
• happy
• resolution
• growth
• sports drama