Breathe is an amazing film about resilience and seizing the day based on the true story of Englishman Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield).
Robin is paralysed by polio whilst in Africa on a tea buying exhibition. He has just married his sweetheart Diana (Claire Foy) who is pregnant with their first child. The doctors advise her that he won’t live longer than several months and to prepare for the worst. Against all medical advice, she manages to bring him home to England and later arrange for him to move out of the hospital. She becomes his full-time carer.
Together they battle their doubts and find an inner strength to make the most of their lives together and transcend his disability. The movie demonstrates the importance of family and friends providing a strong support network.
Robin escapes the confines of his bed with a specially built wheelchair which includes a ventilation machine. He then wants to help his mates who are stuck back at the hospital. The couple raise funds to provide adapted wheelchairs and research. They travel overseas to Spain and later Germany where they must overcome difficulties, obstacles and disapproval.
Robin starts to struggle to breathe even with his ventilation machine. The later scenes are confronting and you might need a couple of tissues to get through them.
Fact: The story is based on the producer Jonathan Cavendish’s own parent’s life. The attitude and way Robin and Diana handle his disability had a huge impact on mobility and access for the disabled.
Breathe is a must-see movie for anyone who needs the strength to listen to their own inner wisdom, even if it is against the ‘experts’ advice. It’s a wonderful reminder to live every day as though it’s your last.
Showing in Australian cinemas nationally 26 December 2017.
#breathe
About Breathe
Starring: Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge, Silence), Claire Foy (Golden Globe Winner, The Crown, Wolf Hall), Hugh Bonneville (Paddington, Downton Abbey), Tom Hollander (Jungle Book: Origins, The Night Manager), Stephen Mangan (Rush) and Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones).
Director: Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes Star Wars: The Force Awakens).
Leave a Reply