by Murtada
While we wait for Nathaniel’s first Oscar predictions of the 2017 season (soon) let's discuss one of the films that might contend, Andy Serkis’ Breathe. The new drama announced an October 27th release date in the UK with a US plan still forthcoming. A la The Theory of Everything (2014) it is the true life story of a marriage altered by disease. Based on the life story of its producer, Jonathan Cavendish’s parents, Breathe, is about a man who is struck by Polio in his late 20s...
Paralysed and only able to breathe with the help of a machine, he defies his doctors, who give him months to live, by travelling the world. Andrew Garfield is the lead opposite Claire Foy as his wife and travel companion.
This is the type of film that will live and die by the strength of its performances. Garfield has shown that he can carry a film whose main arc is drawn around him, no matter what one thinks of Hacksaw Ridge or Silence. Foy has also demonstrated that on TV with The Crown, as evidenced by the awards she’s been showered with. Could they win his and hers nominations like Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones? Or depending on how the story is told, Foy could be campaigned as supporting since that category loves a supportive wife.
The unknown variable here is first time director Serkis - technically this is Serkis' second film as a director but will come out before his first, the much postponed Jungle Book (2018). Serkis come with lots of experience in front of the camera, but also with support from well established screenwriter William Nicholson (Gladiator, Les Miserables) and cinematographer Robert Richardson (Hugo, The Hateful Eight). A TIFF premiere looks to be in the cards.
Are you looking forward to seeing Garfield and Foy together?