Review of Breathe (2017) by Marymaebennett — 14 Jan 2018

I have been furious since last night that this is not getting ANY Oscar attention. It was a heartwarming biopic. I don't see why it has all the poor reviews because it "sticks to the biopic formula"; since when has the Oscar's cared about that? I think my rating reflects this, had it gotten more acclaim, I'd doubt I'd give it a 9.

I also will say it seems like people didn't like how "chipper" it was but I really didn't see it that way. This movie pulls out all the stops in the beginning to bring us back to old hollywood which is something I'm a fan of but could scare some people off though the initial Hepburnesque feeling comes to a halt when the polio strikes and the more serious performance of Foy commences.

I sometimes thought the orchestral pieces were a bit too busy for my taste but were always effective in achieving the emotion they were trying to convey. The sound of the respirator also was used extremely well in a way that sneaks up on you.

In terms of acting I think Foy and Garfield had fine performances. Again, I'm upset at how it's not even being considered for an Oscar nomination because I feel like this should be a movie that gets into categories such as best actor/actress and not necessarily win but AT LEAST be nominated.

The real star in terms of showcasing acting ability in my mind was without a doubt Chapman who able to convey so much emotion in the very little amount of scenes he was in. Even if this was getting Oscar buzz, he wouldn't be getting a supporting actor nominee, but he gets a best supporting actor in my book.

A very small note I wasn't even going to comment on but then I read another review that had the same thought as me, this movie starts in the fifties and ends in the eighties and their wardrobes NEVER change.

If it didn't have the years I would've still thought they were in the imperial age by the end of the film. I would not recommend it for everyone because if you're not into Oscar-bait, you will be bored but I had had a busy day and wanted to decompress and this movie was absolutely perfect for that.