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****
Dir: Andy Serkis (12A, 117 mins)
Master of the monkey mo-cap and Gollum himself, Andy Serkis, makes his directorial debut with this moving true-life story of love in the face of adversity. In 1958 Robin Cavendish, played by Andrew Garfield, is diagnosed with polio aged 28 but he and his wife Diana, played by Claire Foy, refuse to accept his diagnosis. Paralysed from the neck down, unable to breathe for himself and with a very limited life expectancy, the Cavendishes refuse to stay in hospital. He is practically kidnapped away from outdated medical thinking and new technology is created to allow mobility and escape the prison of an iron lung. It will also enable him to see his new born son grow up, he hopes. It’s well-played, heart-tugging stuff with Foy and Garfield a winning couple and true Brit thespian back-up from Hugh Bonneville, Diana Rigg and Tom Hollander. Positive and upbeat, Breathe is an against the odds, life affirming story and marks Serkis as a sensitive director to watch.
Opens Oct 27
