Review of Breathe In (2013) by Jason S — 30 Oct 2013

Breathe In isn't a particularly bad film, but sadly isn't a particularly exciting one either. On the one hand, this succeeds - probably more than it should - thanks to restrained, evocative direction from Doremus and an interesting, muted performance from Pearce. On the other hand, Doremus struggles to offer up anything we haven't seen before in the old mid-life crisis chestnut; the beats are all too familiar for this type of film. For a film with very few surprises, one big one is Jones; she skillfully plays down Sophie, creating a character you wouldn't expect from a film like this.

While most will be distracted by the meandering, overly familiar plot, which keeps this from being essential viewing, Breathe In is well made and confirms Doremus as a director to watch.