Breathe review: Motion capture genius Andy Serkis makes his directorial debut with this warming love story based on true events.
Breathe review by Paul Heath.
Breathe review
British actor Andy Serkis, the pioneering star of the Planet Of The Apes movies, and, of course, the Lord Of The Rings saga, makes his directorial debut with this touching true story based on the life of Robin Cavendish, the father of this film’s producer Jonathan Cavendish, Serkis’ partner in effects/ production house Imaginarium Studios, who are also behind the movie.
The story revolves around Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield) and his wife Diana (Claire Foy), a couple who meet, and fall in love in their mid-twenties. The early part of the film, mostly over the glossy opening credits, show them getting together, getting married, and then going off around the world together, notably to Nairobi, with Robin pursuing his career in brokering tea. It is there where they discover that Diana has fallen pregnant, much to the delight of the young couple. However, shortly afterwards, Robin is struck down with a mystery illness, something later revealed to be polio, a disease which confines him to a hospital bed needing around-the-clock-care, and having to be hooked up to a ventilator to keep him alive.
Breathe review
With the help of Diana’s brothers David and Bloggs Packer, both of whom are played by Tom Hollander, as well as ground-breaking inventor Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville), the young couple break free of the limitations of the hospital bed and set off on an adventure, one which not only sees them create a full life together, but as a family unit, with their new-born son, Jonathan. The two devote their lives to one another, as well as helping others with Robin’s condition.
One could be forgiven for thinking of exactly what to expect from this kind of movie – a film debuting on the festival circuit with a release pencilled in for awards season; a devastating but uplifting true story with fine performances with perhaps a hint of a predictable, somewhat manipulative narrative, and a debuting, respected filmmaker to pull in the crowds with his name above the door. While some of that may be true, the part about over-sentimentality certainly isn’t, as Serkis and co. have crafted a rather enjoyable motion picture that focuses more on the positive aspect of this remarkable story, which whilst sometimes is deeply emotional and hard-hitting, is handled with the utmost care from all involved.
Breathe review
Quite obviously a very personal tale, Breathe sets up the story very quickly, not focusing too much on the building of the couple’s relationship pre-Robin’s illness, but instead pushing past it very carefully and honing in on the life they enjoyed together as a result of it.
Serkis shows great promise as a director with a very solid first turn, which while on the surface this seems like a very straight-forward story, is actually quite an ambitious project, the use of CGI very much present throughout, but used in a way where one cannot always see the joins. His watchful eye brings William Nicholson’s (Gladiator, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom) screenplay to like rather brilliantly, going for substance over style, and delivering a very graceful piece.
The cast are outstanding, though the clear front-runner for any kind of awards recognition is definitely the superb Andrew Garfield, who delivers a career-best – and with his solid body of work in his relatively short career, is certainly sating something.
Breathe may not strike a chord with everyone, but nobody will be able to disagree that it carries a powerful message through light-hearted tone; a movie that sets Serkis off on a potentially huge directing career, and with a follow-up set to be the huge adaptation of Kipling’s The Jungle Book, it looks to be one that promises to be as diverse as it is entertaining. Breathe is a cinematic, heart-warming joy and a great start to the 2017 BFI Film Festival.
Breathe review by Paul Heath, October 2017.
Breathe premieres at the 2017 BFI London Film Festival. It will be released in UK cinemas on October 27th.
