BREATHE Trailer

Awards season means it’s time to overcome an illness, and with Breathe, the inspirational real-life story came from back home.

Producer Jonathan Cavendish is the son of disability advocate Robin Cavendish, who pushed for quality of life and mobility advancements after being paralyzed by polio as a young man. When Jonathan teamed with Andy Serkis to create Imaginarium Productions, they got to work bringing his parent’s story to the big screen.

Given the material and deep roots both men have in the industry, it’s unsurprising that they got some top talent to help them out. William Nicholson (Gladiator, Unbroken) was tasked with converting Robin’s game-changing life into a screenplay while Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy were cast as Jonathan’s parents. Trying not to mess up your producer’s life was undoubtedly stressful, but with Foy playing Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown and Garfield coming off Hacksaw Ridge, it’s not like either are unaccustomed to the pressure of playing a real person.

In a more notable change of pace, Breathe marks Andy Serkis’ directorial debut, although technically it was filmed after his much-delayed motion capture extravaganza Jungle Book. It’s hard to imagine two more different movies, and considering how instrumental Serkis has been in pushing the industry to embrace technological advancements, seeing him take on this relatively straightforward production is surprising.

Still, at the heart of Breathe is a couple willful dreamers, undeterred by the limits people placed on them. That’s probably something a guy best known for playing apes and fantastical creatures can relate to.

Breathe is directed by Andy Serkis and stars Claire Foy, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Hollander. It will be released in the U.S. on October 13th, 2017 and in the U.K. on October 27th, 2017. For international release dates, click here.

Do you think Breathe can be an awards season contender? Let us know in the comments!