"With Her Love, He Lived." This is Breathe. This biographical drama film directed by Andy Serkis in his directorial debut, and written by William Nicholson. When Robin is struck down by polio at the age of twenty-eight, he is confined to a hospital bed and given only a few months to live. With the help of Diana's twin brothers and the groundbreaking ideas of inventor Teddy Hall, Robin and Diana dare to escape the hospital ward to seek out a full and passionate life together - raising their young son, traveling and devoting their lives to helping other polio patients.
Robin Cavendish's son, Jonathan, who runs Imaginarium Productions production company with Serkis, commissioned Nicholson to write the film's screenplay. Serkis has stated that this film was a labor of love in that the story depicts the real-life odyssey of Robin and Diana. During filming, Garfield had to remain immobile as Cavendish was depicted being tended to with everyday tasks such as bathing. Garfield characterized Diana as more than just a soul mate. This influenced Garfield's own relationship with Claire Foy, who portrays Diana. Garfield explained that he spent time with the real-life Diana, Jonathan and their friends and family, which allowed him to absorb something of Robin's personality, and "glimpse the man inside the respirator". Garfield stayed in character in between takes. Foy would even scratch his itches. Regarding her portrayal of Diana, Foy stated, "The most important thing to get was their love for each other. I didn’t want to over-sentimentalise her; and she definitely doesn't want to be seen as a saint, or an angel, or incredible sort of nurse. It was just actually love." According to Jonathan, his father's first thought after being struck down by polio was to "turn off the machine", reasoning that Diana was only 25, and telling her, "You can start again." Touching upon Diana's rejection of this notion, Foy states, "She wasn't going anywhere. That's the thing I found the easiest to understand: she loved him! She was going through it with him. There was no cutting and running, as far as she was concerned. That wasn't ever going to be an option." The real Diana Cavendish was present during much of the filming. She was eighty-three at the time and traveled to all the filming locations with the production.
The film stars Garfield, Foy, Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hollander, Ed Speleers and Dean-Charles Chapman. Superb performances were given by the cast, especially from Garfield and Foy. Garfield and Foy are fantastic, and it's wonderful to see a biopic that includes the woman next to the famous man, but there's no there to their relationship, or their family, which grows with seemingly no parenting effort whatsoever.
Part biopic, part love story, Breathe rises on Serkis' polished direction and the strength of its two leads. A stirring and bittersweet love story, inflected with tasteful good humour. A solid, duly moving account of their complicated relationship, spanning roughly thirty-six years, and made with impeccable professional polish. The film is tremendously moving and inspirational.
Simon says Breathe receives:
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