Lara (Rachel Daigh) is an expert geologist, and her work ethics are nothing short of commendable. So when after she and her team have conducted a survey at a volcano she insists on staying a little longer on her own for some additional examinations, nobody's really surprised or thinks much of it. And really, what's the worst that could happen ... which is of course what happens when Lara, on her own, falls into a hole in the gound she has quite simply overlooked. She hurts one of her legs, and is down in the whole several meters deep with no first aid kit let alone climbing gear. Left to her own devices with very little in terms of strength due to her injured leg, and very dire prospects, as the area's usually deserted and help is not on the way, Lara tries to get out the best she can - and the more she fails, the more she starts to think wherever else she has failed, like having had a pointless affair with a colleague (Neb Chupin) that's destined to destroy a beautiful friendship, and much worse failing to raise her daughter (Alba Di Mauro), something she has almost entirely left to her father (James Cosmo), with whom her relationship has grown more and more strained due to her negligence. And all these are demons she has to fight before she can even hope to get out of her predicament ...

Now I will admit that the film's central analogy - that self-awareness is the key to salvation - is treated a little on the heavy-handed side. But that said, this message is sure packed into strong imagery that speaks for itself, as the film makes perfect use of its somewhat archaic sets and locations, and accordingly Lara's fight for survival has a very archaic side to it. And the transitions between her attempts to save herself and her memories are very smooth and very on point indeed. And a strong central performance, warts and all, by Rachel Daigh only helps making this a pretty memorable movie.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned)

The links below will take you just there!!!

Find Breath at the amazons ...   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.de Looking for imports? Find Breath here ...   eThaiCD.com Your shop for all things Thai

Thanks for watching !!!