Breathe is a tear-jerker based on real events. The film occasionally tries to elicit your tears intentionally, but the scene most often justifies the emotion.
Director Andy Serkis, the actor who did ground-breaking work as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and Caesar in Planet of the Apes, tries hard to make you empathize with his two main characters. In the late 1950s, the young British couple Robin and Diana Cavendish hope to live a happy life in Kenya, but Robin contracts polio.
He is told that he does not have long to live, relies on an iron lung to breathe, and can barely even move his eyelids anymore. He would prefer to die, but Diana convinces him to resist his desire to die and inhuman treatment in hospital, and to fight for a better life. He ultimately becomes a pioneer and figurehead for people with severe disabilities.
Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy give great performances. There is a definite sense that this is a polished and sunny version of the story, but it is told with sincerity and skill. It could have been much worse.
Read more about: Film , Andy Serkis , Andrew Garfield , Claire Foy
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