“Mélanie Laurent offers a compelling, superbly acted portrait of an adolescent friendship perched on the brink of obsession.” — Scott Foundas, Variety
“Mean Girls” for the arthouse crowd! Laurent nails the nature of female friendships… chilling, but relatable, a wicked combo!”— Indiewire
Film Movement, the New York-based distributor of independent films, is pleased to announce that BREATHE, Mélanie Laurent’s second feature as director, will premiere on Video On Demand on December 1. Laurent, who currently co-stars in BY THE SEA, directed an assured adaptation of the sensational French young-adult novel of the same name.
After a critically-acclaimed theatrical run, BREATHE, which was an official selection at both the Cannes and Toronto film festivals, will be available on Video On Demand and digital platforms December 1. BREATHE is a taut, nuanced story about the depths of female friendships and the dark side of teenage infatuations. The narrative begins with the instant connection between the inseparable protagonists, mesmerizingly played by Joséphine Japy and Lou de Laâge. Through shared secrets, love interests and holiday getaways, the two become close. However, this deep intimacy also entails jealousy and unrealistic expectations, and soon the teens find themselves on a dangerous trajectory toward an inevitable and unforeseen collapse. BREATHE has been lauded by The Hollywood Reporter as “an impressive second film that features intelligent writing and several knockout performances.”
“With her sophomore feature BREATHE, actress-turned-director Mélanie Laurent…has made one of the best films of the year,” wrote The Wrap. The A.V. Club said, “…it is among the year’s finest, exploring a destructive imbalance of power within an arrestingly unusual context.” BREATHE, which has a 93% Rotten Tomato Certified Fresh rating, has also been called “spellbinding” by the New York Times; “riveting” by Art Forum; “a must-see” by Indiewire; and “expertly directed” by Time Out New York.
Additional praise for the film includes:
- “It’s a chilly, elegantly assured little picture, a horror story with its roots not in fantasy but in the reality of hurt feelings” – Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice
- “BREATHE is one of the best films of the year, taking what on paper may seem like a simple, run of the mill story, and turning it into a close and critical look at the deteriorating friendship between two young women and all that falls between them.” – Allyson Johnson, The Young Folks
- “BREATHE is a very well-orchestrated as well as acutely observed film about teen obsession, which shows a great and very promising directing talent in Melanie Laurent” – Dustin Chang, TwitchFillm
- “BREATHE is a great film. It’s gorgeously shot and acted, with a very realistic story of a friendship-gone-wrong at its center.” – After Ellen
- “BREATHE is a forceful portrait of teen friendship that will get under the viewer’s skin and linger for days. Melanie Laurent directs the film, alert to every subtle shift in power, every flicker of change, every hint of something deepening or souring in the relationship of two high school girls….Whatever you’d call it, the word “toxic” is too mild for what goes down in this French film.” – Mick LaSalle, The San Francisco Chronicle
- “Briefly, but admiringly, I want to take note of BREATHE….I can tell you that Ms. Laurent’s direction is astute and economical, that both of the film’s young stars give fine performances, and that BREATHE is a very good title for a film that ever so gradually takes your breath away.” – Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
In addition to BREATHE, holdover on-demand programming in December includes AMOROUS, a drama that follows Londoners moving to an isolated cottage to test social conventions and their own inhibitions by swapping partners and exploring unconventional relationships; FINDING GASTON, an appetizing documentary following acclaimed Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio on an amazing journey into his country’s cuisine and culture; THE DINNER, the award-winning Italian film based on the best-selling novel by Herman Koch, where two families grapple with the repercussions of a senseless act of violence that threatens to dismantle their fragile balancing act of respectability; CRUMBS, a stunning film set in post-apocalypse Ethiopia, following a collector picking up Michael Jackson memorabilia and other leftover scraps of civilization who embarks on a surreal journey to find a mysterious spacecraft; and HOME FROM HOME, a drama set in the mid-19th century about a young man who flees the famine, poverty and despotism of his German village for the freedom of the wild South American jungle.