by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Why is survival film such a tricky genre? Most survival films feature a singular character (sometimes a group) caught up in one specific place or situation. If the whole concept is one person in one place for a whole film, that can be quite limiting. But it does benefit from a cheap level of emotion as we watch a fellow human being going through dangerous and deadly trials. Unless you have zero empathy (or the character is beyond unlikeable), there will be at least some emotional reactions happening from the audience. This certainly describes Breath in a nutshell.
What narrative does writer-director John Real try to weave in with this survival film? A geologist who studies volcanology is unlucky one evening when she falls into a whole. No one knows where she is, and she soon endures plenty of punishment attempting to escape. But there lies the issue… punishment. How much is too much? As with films like The Revenant, this film just keeps going and hits the same beats too many times. Once the protagonist has fallen and hurt her limbs for the third time, you hope for the film to take some fresh turns. But it just doesn’t. For a film that is 105 minutes, something needs to fill up the excess runtime. Flashbacks! Our protagonist remembers back to being too busy working, which hurt her relationship with her own child as well as her father. These themes and ideas are basic and barely scratch the surface. At least the way this situation gets resolved is a bit different and fresh.
What about the direction that Real offers up to tell this story? First off, this movie needs to learn how to move. The pacing is a crawl and just compounds on top of the repetitive nature of the narrative. There are a few gorgeous shots of a volcano, but outside of that, the film feels a bit flat and grim. There is not real energy but at least there are a few moments of some emotion to hook the audience a bit.
What about the limited cast that bring this survival drama to life? Rachel Daigh is our leading actor as Lara Winslet. She is challenged to give a physical performance showing vulnerability, pain, and anguish. She must carry most of this film on her back and she rises to the occasion for the most part. The real gem is the veteran presence of James Cosmo. His performance as Lara’s father is anchoring and compelling. He brings a steady hand to each scene that he acts in.
Is Breath just another survival drama to take in? The concept is high, but not quite unique. The film drags itself out and tries to pad the runtime with extra shenanigans that don’t feel necessary. There was potential, but alas, Breath leaned comfortably into familiar and stale beats.
Score: 4/10
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