BREATHE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS* 

Andy Serkis is best known for his motion-capture performances and bringing characters, such as Gollum in the Lord Of The Rings films, to life through this impressive technique. So, it was a big surprise to many when it was announced that his directorial debut was a drama that's based on the true story of Robin Cavendish who, at just the age of 28, is paralysed from the neck down after he is struck down by polio. However, the main reason Serkis chose to direct this is because Robin's son, Jonathan Cavendish, is a producer at The Imaginarium Studios along with Serkis. Of course, this is a story that meant a lot to Jonathan and it's understandable why he wanted to create a feature about his father.

Breathe is an inspiring true love story between Robin (Andrew Garfield) and Diana Cavendish (Claire Foy), an adventurous couple who refuse to give up in the face of a devastating disease. When Robin is struck down by polio at the age of 28, he is confined to a hospital bed and given only a few months to live. With the help of Diana's twin brothers (Tom Hollander) and the groundbreaking ideas of inventor Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville), Robin and Diana dare to escape the hospital ward to seek out a full and passionate life together - raising their young son, traveling and devoting their lives to helping other polio patients.

You'd be right in thinking that the tone of Breathe looks like a lot of other films about paralysed or disabled characters, including last year's Me Before You (starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke) and 2014's The Theory Of Everything (which won Eddie Redmayne his first Academy Award for his performance as Professor Stephen Hawking), However, this doesn't mean it's any less inspiring. Before watching, I had noticed there was a lot of criticism towards this feature and, while I do notice its flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed watching Robin's story as I had never heard of it prior to seeing this film. Most dramas, that involve a character with a life-debilitating disability, are dark and depressing and hard to watch. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, I think that the uplifting tone works for Breathe. Jonathan obviously wanted his father's story to be told in an uplifting and celebratory way and that's why Breathe is a success. In the beginning, we do feel sympathetic towards Robin as he loses the ability to move his body and talk within a matter of hours. He can't even hold his new baby son and refuses to look at him, due to his depression. At first, he wants to die, but his wife, Diana, refuses to give up on him. She soon learns how to work his respirator machine and, with the help of Robin's doctor and nurse, sneaks him out of hospital and brings him home where he begins his new life and is able to watch his son grow up.

In the beginning, I did feel like that Robin and Diana's love story, including how they met, was rushed, however, I think this is because the majority of the film focuses on Robin's life after contracting polio. Within the first half hour, Diana is already pregnant with their baby son. Fortunately, I think that this can be overlooked as Diana's unconditional love is shown throughout the film as she cares for him and is determined for him to live as long a life as possible. However, it does become difficult for her towards the end as Robin becomes more ill and Diana must come to terms with her husband dying. It's in these scenes that leads to us thinking if it's fair to force someone to live in pain so we don't have to live without them. While the majority of Breathe shies away from the darkest parts of Robin's disability, towards the end, it shows the gory side. Because it's a 12A, not too much is seen, but there is a sudden scene that involves Robin's respirator machine breaking which leads to him losing a lot of blood. It's a difficult scene to watch but it's also crucial as we can see just how difficult Robin's life is and we feel sympathetic towards Diana, who has to stop the bleeding and clean up his messy stained clothes and sheets. 

For his cast, Serkis has chosen the best of British which includes Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy in the leading roles. Last year, Garfield gave an effective performance in Hacksaw Ridge as a soldier who refused to hold a weapon in battle. This lead to him being nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year. While Garfield's performance is highly effective and he captures the highs and lows of Robin's life, it's hard to say whether he'll be nominated again next year, however, I'd be very happy if he was nominated. Foy is probably best known for portraying Queen Elizabeth II in two series of Netflix original series, The Crown, however, as Diana, she proves she's capable of handling dramatic roles on the big screen. The likes of Tom Hollander, Hugh Bonneville and comedian Stephen Mangan give solid supporting roles. 

In all honesty, I think that the criticism towards Breathe is a bit unfair. It's an impressive directorial debut, especially for Serkis. His hope was to bring the story of his friend's father's battle with polio to the big screen, in an uplifting and celebratory way with an emotional climax. And I think with that he has succeeded.

8/10