Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Breathe In Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 11, 2013

Director Drake Doremus' "Breathe In" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Film Word/Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film as well as a video interview with Drake Doremus and Felicity Jones. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Alone

Guy Pearce is Keith Reynolds, a talented cellist and well respected music teacher whose life has become unbearably predictable. He lives with his wife Megan (Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone, Win Win) and their high school senior daughter Lauren (Mackenzie Davis, Smashed) in a nice house somewhere in upstate New York, but occasionally travels to the city to perform with one of the area’s best symphony orchestras. When he does, he feels alive, and then dreams about being a full-time cellist.

When British exchange student Sophie (Felicity Jones, Like Crazy, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding) is welcomed in the house, Keith’s life changes dramatically. Sophie immediately impresses him with her piano skills, and later on with her ability to read his mind. After a few casual conversations, Keith is convinced that Sophie understands exactly how he feels - like a man trapped in a life he never wanted to have.

Sophie also appreciates how Keith talks to her. He is confident and honest, direct but respectful. He is not like Lauren’s boyfriend and his friends. Keith is a man who finds attractive what boys don’t.

Eventually, the inevitable happens - Sophie and Keith kiss. They also begin spending time together. But when Lauren accidentally sees them at the nearby lake lying next to each other, they are suddenly presented with an impossible dilemma.

The plot of Drake Doremus’ Breathe In may sound fairly straightforward, but this is a film that is full of surprises. The chemistry between Pearce and Jones is simply fantastic and observing them slowly falling in love while occasionally making the ‘wrong’ moves is a wonderful experience.

The dialog is also terrific. The lines Pearce and Jones exchange are simple but always meaningful. There are also plenty of wonderful scenes where they simply look at each other or touch their hands but do not utter a single word yet the viewer immediately understands how they feel. Indeed, nothing feels forced, or made to look more intimate than it is.

What does not look overly convincing is Davis’ gradual collapse after she realizes that her boyfriend no longer desires her. Her emotions are certainly understandable, but the drama that ensues occasionally feels out of sync with the desired by the director atmosphere. This is best felt during the final act.

The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer John Guleserian (Like Crazy, About Time). The camera frequently comes very close to the actors and the viewer feels as if he is right next to them in many of the most memorable scenes. The prominent natural light also makes the film look appropriately fluid.

The film is also complimented by a truly fantastic soundtrack created by composer Dustin O’Halloran. Many of the gentle piano pieces heard throughout the film very effectively compliment the intimate atmosphere.

Breathe In had its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The film will also be screened at the Chicago International Film Festival later this month.

Breathe In Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Breathe In arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye.

Shot with the Arri Alexa Plus camera, Breathe In has a wonderful fluid look. During close-ups as well as during larger panoramic shots detail is often outstanding. Clarity and contrast levels are also exceptionally stable throughout the entire film. There is a wide range of warm and very natural greens, blues, browns, and grays, all of which are fantastically well balanced. In fact, some of the close-ups are so clean and crisp that they often look like digital photographs. There are no serious compression issues to report in this review. Also, overall image stability is outstanding. To sum it all up, Breathe In looks simply terrific on Blu-ray, more than likely as good as it can possibly look in 1080p. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Breathe In Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye have not provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

There is a serious gap in quality between the two lossless tracks despite the fact that Breathe In does not have a very active sound design. On the 5.1 track random sounds and noises are better identified and the range of nuanced dynamics is much better. This becomes very clear when Dustin O'Halloran's excellent piano pieces enhance select sequences. The dialog is also very crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. For the record, there are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

Breathe In Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Breathe In. In English, not subtitled. 3 min, 1080p).

• Interview - in this video interview, director Drake Doremus and Felicity Jones explain how Breathe In came to exist, and discuss the relationships between the key characters in the film, the unique role Dustin O'Halloran's soundtrack has, the film's visual style, etc. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

Breathe In Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye's new line of contemporary English-language films deserves a lot of attention. After the fantastic A Late Quartet, the British distributors are now bringing to Blu-ray Drake Doremus' Breathe In, a beautiful and intelligent romantic drama that looks stunning in high-definition. Let's hope that this film will eventually get a U.S. release as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.