When an exceedingly talented actor or actress tries their hand at directing, the scrutiny that they’re normally exposed to only increases. Such is the case with the brilliant Andy Serkis, taking on his directorial debut in preparation to direct a Jungle Book: Origins movie, in the form of the uplifting and emotional Breathe, this year’s LFF Opening Gala.
Charming and celebratory
Given the heavy nature of the story about Robin Cavendish, a man who contracts polio and spends the rest of his life paralysed and unable to breathe without a respirator, one may assume that Breathe would pack quite an emotional punch, which indeed it does. However, not to get too bogged down by the emotion, the film is incredibly celebratory of Robin’s amazing story and tremendously humorous. Robin’s son Johnathan served as a producer on the film so it’s easy to see why it’s nature is so overly celebratory, but it doesn’t take anything away from the story.
Whilst at times the film is hard to watch because of the perennial struggle of Robin, the film’s charm lies within its depiction of Robin’s relationships with his friends and family, especially his devoted wife Diana, who is there for him at every turn. Breathe is a sobering and tragic film, yet is brilliantly riddled with constant humour and goosebump inducing moments of joy that really makes it seem rounded. Serkis’s directing feels assured if not overly ambitious, but the combination of his direction and William Nicholson’s script has produced an uplifting film with a great deal of heart.
An affecting ensemble
There’s certainly a sense of Oscar baiting in Breathe and there’s a lot of parallels to be made with The Theory of Everything, but the whole cast deliver powerful performances nonetheless. Andrew Garfield; fresh off his Oscar nomination for Hacksaw Ridge, turns out another emotionally charged and difficult to watch at times performance as Robin, and was absolutely vital in making sure the story was told properly, capturing Robin’s struggle perfectly. Another on a real hot streak is Claire Foy (The Crown), and she follows her outstanding year with a truly powerful performance as Diana, exhibiting the struggle of giving up your life to care for someone, all whilst being quietly understated and truly funny.
With the charming and hilarious Tom Hollander it’s hard to put a foot wrong, and he demonstrates his natural charm and humour through his performance as Diana’s twin brothers, turning out easily the funniest aspect of the film layered with subtle emotion. A surprisingly emotional turn from Ed Speelers (Eragon) as Robin’s best friend Colin is quietly powerful and is vital in one of the film’s more poignant moments. A lovely pair of cameos from the ever charming Hugh Bonneville and the gracefully hilarious Diana Rigg rounds out a truly fantastic ensemble cast that delivered the script perfectly. There’s certainly a potential for Oscar nominations for Garfield and Foy, and it will be interesting to see how everything plays out during the awards season with a very open race at the minute.
The Verdict
Technically speaking, there’s nothing too marvellous about Breathe, except for some lovely sprawling shots of Kenya and Spain and a fitting soundtrack to accompany the emotional story. There’s not a great deal of character development as it is a retelling, and the start feels overly rushed, but by no means does this make it a bad film. Breathe is truly inspiring whilst wholly tragic, but the use of humour and a fantastic cast make this film very well rounded. Serkis could have been more ambitious and there’s a clear sense of Oscar-baiting but it’s certainly not a bad directorial debut, but with potentially Oscar worthy performances delivering a great script, it’s a must watch and was a great way to open LFF.
Rating: 7.5/10
Words by Elliott Jones