Review of Breath (2017) by Adrian A — 07 May 2018

This is a superbly filmed little jewel of an OZ movie finely crafted by Simon Baker, who obviously loves the book by Tim Winton on which the film is based. And it's as close as the ducks nuts to the book in tone and character. I wish it had been around when I was seventeen and had just been to the premiere of 'Morning of the Earth.' I reckon 17 year old guys will love this film. It's like 'Tea and Sympathy' for surfies.

The auteroticism stuff has always intrigued me. The book came out around the time of the tragic death of Michael Hutchence, and I've always thought the book is a meditation by Tim on why someone would give up their breath for pleasure, when surfers and fishermen often nearly do involuntarily. Anyone who swims in the surf in OZ knows how much nearly drowning focuses the mind on living.

The film has a meditative slow pace, like a surfer waiting for a wave. Like watching the sea rise and fall off the coast of Albany. I mean Angelus. It's an antidote to the 'give it to me now and fuckin hurry' obsession of the modern world. It's like watching a surfer imbued with grace dancing on the dawn. It's a fine cast, but it's Loony the grommet's movie for me. He's fuckin brilliant!