Marking the
directorial debut of performer Andy Serkis, “Breathe” is a breezy period
romance recounting the true story of
plucky Brit Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield), who at 28 was stricken with
Polio, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his
own. The doctor’s prognosis gives him only a few months to live, time which
he’ll spend permanently attached to a ventilator and confined to hospital bed.
But that’s not entirely how things worked out.
With the support of his unflappable
wife, Diana (Claire Foy, “The Crown”), whom he’d only recently married after a
whirlwind courtship, and the assistance of a helpful inventor friend, Cavendish
is able to devise means to live a full life, from a special wheelchair to a
mobile ventilator that keep him from being confined to a hospital. This
increased ability allows him to become a tireless advocate for disability
rights.
Strong performances from Garfield
and Foy keep things from getting too sentimental, and the script by William
Nicholson aims strictly for feel-good uplift (the film is produced by
Cavendish’s son Jonathan). As a result, the sun-drenched “Breathe” is more
light and jovial than you’d typically expect for this type of story. Its plucky
tone captures the adventurous spirit that allowed Cavendish to go through most
of his life with a delighted smile on his face.
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2017.
