Breathe didn’t have to be a film that unflinchingly laid bare the trials of the Cavendishes’ existence, but it might have at least had the courage to be something. Instead, whenever it lands on a purpose, it can’t seem to shake it off quickly enough.
William Nicholson’s screenplay momentarily nibbles at a couple of juicy themes – the necessary visibility of disabled people, quality of life versus quantity of life – but scuttles off in fright each time, while the notion that Diana might have forgone some of her own dreams and desires in order to become a stagehand in her husband’s life is glossed over in a few “Oh, don’t worry about me, darling” exchanges that sell her character insultingly short. A sceptical hospital chief is written as conveniently racist. Everything slips along a little too comfortably for comfort.
“You could at least have the decency to be at the point of death,” Bonneville’s character drily jibes, when he comes to Cavendish’s rescue during a roadside breakdown in Spain, only to find the crisis has turned into an impromptu fiesta, with tapas, flamenco-dancing locals, and coloured fairy lights. The actor sells the joke well, but you can’t help but notice it strikes an unfortunate chord.
Breathe opens the London Film Festival on October 4 and is released in UK cinemas on Friday October 27
from Don T Breathe - Google News http://ift.tt/2xV5ceY
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