Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Based on the true story of Robin, a handsome, brilliant and adventurous man whose life takes a dramatic turn when polio leaves him paralyzed.
Breathe is a well-intentioned and emotionally affecting biographical drama elevated significantly by Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy's performances, which bring genuine warmth and chemistry to Robin and Diana Cavendish. The true story has inherent emotional power — a man defying medical prognosis to live a full life — but the screenplay follows a fairly conventional inspirational biopic structure with few surprises in narrative construction. Cinematography is competent and pleasantly staged but rarely distinctive. The film's novelty is limited; it treads familiar biopic territory without a particularly singular voice or approach, functioning more as a loving tribute than a formally adventurous work. The ending carries emotional weight given the true-story context but doesn't transcend genre expectations dramatically.