Breathe,
directed by Andy Serkis
(PG-13, 1 hour, 58 minutes)
Enduring polio doesn't sound like it would be the stuff of a inspirational ode to the human spirit. Yet here we have Breathe, the directorial debut of Andy Serkis (Gollum in Lord of the Rings), aiming to put a positive spin on a decidedly disastrous situation. And, for the most part, it succeeds.
Set in 1950s England, it concerns ambitious, athletic and charming 28-year-old Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield) who falls madly in love with Diana (Claire Foy). They marry and set off for high adventures, chasing his tea-brokerage career in Kenya. That's where he is suddenly afflicted with the worst-case version of polio, which paralyzes him from the neck down and forces him to rely on a respirator to stay alive.
After a period of deservedly feeling sorry for himself, he's goaded by his steely yet effervescent wife to knock it off. So with the help of his inventor pal Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville of Downton Abbey), he finds a way to live outside of a medical institution, raise his child, travel, contribute to the welfare of his family, and broaden the options for others in his situation.
Foy is particularly authentic as a determined, upbeat wife who's truly in love with her often challenging husband, but the film is so relentlessly buoyant that it shares similarities with those Facebook friends who are unendingly successful, happy, enthusiastic about everything, and, well, living a life that's better than yours.
Based on a true story. With Diana Rigg, Miranda Raison, Dean-Charles Chapman, Tom Hollander.
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MovieStyle on 01/05/2018