Review of 'The Last Breath' which can be found here at Daily Motion.
Length: 10:54
Logline: A family of divers resurface from a lake to find that there's no breathable air up above.
A great film this. It's a clever idea, well written, keeps good pace and surprises. There's little dialogue but what we do get are lines which serve clear purpose and with no wastage. I like how almost everything you need is set up in the first two minutes - old granny at the diving shack, family of the year who'd never dream of killing each other, in fact they love it in the country cos the cities full of folk who do just that. Ha! The tone is nearly comical which is a nice deception but the lack of soundtrack in that first opening sequence allows a for a menacing undertone to come through.
If there was ever a time and place for that 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster, it would be in this film. All that running about in a panic only makes their oxygen run out faster. Daft buggers. But at the same time increases the urgency for the audience. Game of Thrones's (Yay!) Francis Magee is a familiar face but his early demise lets the other cast take the helm. Everyone does a great job with the physically demanding roles. They really look like they've been put through their paces. Well done to wardrobe and continuity too who keep them all looking soaking wet throughout and not the usual dry as a bone two seconds after exiting water look that a lot of productions make a mistake with.
The camera work and edit are superb with excellent pacing with the cuts and some great cinematic shots being used. Shame the weather wasn't better for the shoot. British summertime my arse. The eerie soundtrack is used sparingly but to great effect. The whole film is high quality and wouldn't look out of place on the big screen at all.
Thematically, this gets quite dark. Husband against wife, mother against daughter and sister against sister. It's harrowing stuff and the darkness of the surrounding woodland during that sequence adds to the grisly mood significantly. The twist at the end is good but in a way, gives us the ending we all expect. Belief has to be suspended when the old dear's harpoon pins the girl to the wall but who cares? Thankfully, I can only presume that the old bitch will be outnumbered by the next wave of breathless divers.
All in all, an excellent genre piece and another fine example of how to do horror well in the short format.
Best Bit: Fab concept and great writing.
Worst Bit: The title sequence is a bit cheesy.
Final thought: What's that old woman doing down by the diving hut before the air disappears? It's almost as though she knows...
Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.
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