Soho Horror Film Festival 2024 Coverage
Breathing In review
Atmosphere and performance horror highlight a dark (in more ways than one) tale.
Festival reviews will not contain spoilers
Breathing In
Directed by Jaco Bouwer
Written by Jaco Bouwer
Starring Mishele Burgers, Sven Ruygrok, Jamie-Lee Money and Lionel Newton
Breathing In Review
Atmosphere and performance are the calling cards of the stylish, slow burn folk horror tale Breathing In. I’m not actually sure if it would be categorized as folk horror. I’ve always associated it with patient horror stories set in a land before modern technology. It probably has more to do with customs and rituals than I’ve credited it with. But you probably understand what Breathing In feels like when I invoke the phrase “folk horror” so let’s stick with it.
Set in South Africa in 1901, Breathing In centers around Anna (Michele Burgers) and her daughter Annie (Jamie-Lee Money). They survive in the war-torn region by moving around quickly. After Anna reluctantly takes in a wounded General (Lionel Newton) …the women are visited by one of his soldiers, Brand (Sven Ruygrok). Brand becomes smitten with Annie…a young woman with a strange affliction. The closer Brand gets to her…the closer he brings himself to danger.
Let’s start by talking about the atmosphere created in Breathing In. This is a dark movie in both subject matter and practical lighting. Mostly lit by candlelight, it can be difficult to see everything that’s happening. It never lasts long…but you can become lost in certain moments. Normally this would be a negative. Here, it fits perfectly with the narrative. Brand can’t see the danger directly in his path. Neither can we. Until it’s time for Breathing In to shed light on it. The visuals match the tone of the story to create an oppressive atmosphere with a hint of imminent doom. We don’t know for sure where the danger is…we can’t see it. But we know it’s there.
With the General unconscious for most of the movie…Breathing In relies on three lead characters to tell its story. All three are excellent in their roles…but Michele Burgers devours every scene she is in. She delivers a monologue that provides some long-awaited and much needed exposition that you won’t soon shake. Without her consistently strong performance…Breathing In could have been lost in its darkness.
Anna is the leader of the house. She seems to be in full control of every situation. Michele Burgers is tremendous in the role. We may not know what her plans are…but we can feel that she isn’t to be trusted. Burgers’ performance carries us through the darkness. It’s one of the best screen performances on the festival circuit.
Sven Roygrok plays Brand as a man whose sanity is rapidly receding. He should feel the danger too…and he probably does. But he’s being manipulated in ways that he can’t understand. Forget Anna’s obvious manipulations…Brand’s own shoes appear unable to leave. There is a running story of his inability to get his shoes on and go. It sounds silly…but it hammers home the eerie, slyly unexplainable nature of his situation. Is this dark magic? Is something evil trapping him here? Has his mind broken past the point of understanding?
Annie is the most interesting character of the three. Anna won’t let her fall asleep for fear that she will slip away from her. Brand falls for her quickly…and she reciprocates in kind. Unfortunately, her health is fading fast. She repeatedly urges Brand to leave…something that he is increasingly incapable of doing. Jamie-Lee Money plays the character as a dying light in the darkness for Brand to gravitate towards. Her fading health makes her weak. Her reactions to the Brand’s kindness tell a sad story of their own.
Breathing In is all about these performances. There is a foreboding atmosphere surrounding the three strong leads. We don’t know what kind of horror Brand is in for…only that it is somewhere in the darkness. It takes its time letting us get to know the three characters…dangling an unseen knife over our heads. At its heart, Breathing In is a movie about survival. Brand hasn’t given enough thought to how these women have managed to survive on their own during a time of desperation and turmoil. They have a secret. One that he won’t see until it is too late.
Scare Value
Atmosphere. Performance. Those are the calling cards of this stripped-down horror tale. A slow burn, stylish story that is as dark on screen as it is on the page. The aesthetic choice to shoot by candlelight leave the bigger picture tough to see at times…but they add to sense of dread and inevitability. Patience may be tested…but the performances are strong enough to see you through the darkness.
