Breathe

Director - Samuel Vainisi (Senses, Violet)
Starring - Alyss Winkler (Slaughterhouse Slumber Party, Jessie's Super Normal Regular Average Day) and Dominic Vainisi (Akrasia, Senses)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Drama/Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I love watching a short. They tend to pack so much into a short running time where most feature length movies run out of wind before the final act.  I recently purchased a few films from the young filmmaker Samuel Vainisi who has a few shorts and a feature length film under his belt.  He's a stand up young man who is very supportive of other filmmakers and I really wanted to check out his work.  The first short I tossed in was 2018's Akrasia.  Honestly, I wasn't a fan of this one but I kept moving on.  The next short is another one from 2018.  This one, Breathe, stars indie starlet Alyss Winkler.  

     Breathe follows Riley (Winkler) who is suffering from anxiety and insomnia.  She lives in her head and every waking moment is a nightmare for this young woman as she hallucinates.  Over time she starts to think about taking drastic measures that could be life altering but in the end she remembers that she just needs to breathe...

     I was very curious to see how Breathe was going to play out.  Much like Akrasia, the film was not meant for movie fans like myself.  I'm too immature with a taste for bad movies.  This film is obviously very close and personal with the filmmaker with the story focusing on mental health.  People will appreciate what he is trying to say but for people like myself the 12 minute short is a little too long with the story we are given.  The acting in this one is very one sided which can be said about Vainisi's other short Akrasia.  Winkler is alone most of the film but delivers a very powerful and impressive performance.  She has to communicate with the viewer without speaking which she does a phenomenal job with it.  Roles like this is why she is one of my favorite indie scream queens.  The story for this one is simple and works if the film was just a little shorter.  Even with the film running 12 minutes it feels a lot longer than what it actually is.  The impact of the story is felt early on but struggles to hold that same power on the viewer after the initial hit.  Finally, this is not a bloody and gory short.  This is a very story driven short that does not rely on the red stuff to sell it.  Overall, Breathe is a compelling story with an amazing performance from Alyss Winkler but the viewer will find themselves becoming uninterested in the story once the middle segment begins.  Regardless, this one isn't for me but it could be for you so check it out if it sounds like something you would dig.