WATCH NOW
Rory, the sole survivor, navigates through life devoid of emotion, until he unexpectedly crosses paths with a family – a man, his wife, and their child. They hint at an existence of a fabled land called ‘Eden’ in this world that has been rendered desolate due to a zombie like apocalypse. ‘Breather’, a post-apocalyptic drama created by Alex Alessi and Jeff Stewart tackles Rory’s story. The film does not accurately depict what triggered the apocalypse and the timeline associated with it. However, it establishes an extremely bleak setting for its storyline.
A mysterious illness has ravaged the world and caused a population collapse and what remains of humanity, now has to battle for survival. The exposition of the film manages to capture the attention of the viewer, but, much to their dismay, the miseenscene towards the latter part fails to follow suit. Electric supply, copious amounts of water, food, clean clothing, and even radio stations broadcasting through the air. These props help capture elements of the narrative, Alessi’s sparse approach in catering to the storyline does help create the world, however, hinders the viewer’s complete immersion into the film.
In addition to directing, Alessi plays the main character, Rory. He captures the aurora a man searching for hope after losing everything he cherishes. During the apocalypse, Rory’s brother died of the plague, leaving him with unbearable guilt. The film swaps from past to present, chronicling the two boys relationship until the heartbreaking death of Chris. Their journeys together during the start of the pandemic elicit some warm sentiments with in the family. Gabriel Rush as Chris plays a very interesting counterpoint to Alex Alessi as Rory since they portray the brotherhood very well.
The film gains its focus with the introduction of Casper (Alex Emanuel) and his daughter Rosie (Catherine Blades). They take a great leap of faith with Rory in order to join his search for Eden. Etymology and context reveal the drastic undertones of Eddie’s search for ‘Eden‘ as his journey consists of, drama, tension, peril and more. Aside from the father-son trio being chased by an unruly cult, they are also haunted by all that lies in between the elusive ‘Eden’ and them. The river that stands between them and the sanctuary drips in life-threatening beauty, and crossing it would mean risking everything. Each move they make, every second impacts their life for the worse. The fight scenes in the film are very well thought out and the actors deliver with great passion. The attention to detail in the action deviates from the norm; instead of appearing fake or unnatural, it builds the excitement of the audience while remaining believable.
The attention to detail in the cinematography makes William Donald Kaufman one of the strongest contributors to the film. The overall footage of the landscape is striking and some angles taken through drones are downright stunning. The pieces of the document are skillfully puzzled together. Each slow frame and quick action cut increases the excitement level, as anticipated. Together with the editing is the wonderful soundtrack from Michael Vignola who accompanies the motifs beautifully.
To watch more movies like When Everything’s Gone (2020) visit 123movies.
