Breathe is a biopic of Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield) a 20th century polio suffer. When he first contracts it he is paralyzed and doesn’t want to go on living. But his wife Diana (Claire Foy), doesn’t let him give up. Robin, Diana, and their friends fight the system to give Robin a fuller life. They move him out of the hospital and Robin and his friend Professor Hall (Hugh Bonneville) invent specialized wheelchairs to allow him to navigate outside of his house. He becomes an activist for the disabled.
This is the directing debut of Andy Serkis. It takes some time to find its footing. Sometimes it feels a bit scattered as the scene changes often jump forward a year or more. But in the end, I was pulled into the emotion of the story. Garfield does some fine acting work playing multiple ages, often with little or no dialogue. Despite the rough start, this is an engaging movie and a fine kickoff to the festival.