Respire (Breathe) – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

The new girl in town finds herself attracted to the resident demure girl, and through their friendship, they learn, and reveal, a lot about each other. Especially in terms of how far they will go to keep up appearances until the façade cannot be held up anymore.

Characters & Story

One day, like any other, Charlie (Joséphine Japy) finds herself with a new desk mate in Sarah (Lou de Laâge). She is the new kid whose mother is currently in Africa and has sent her daughter to live with her sister in France. And, as you would expect, Sarah loves to talk about her adventures, and mesmerize any who would listen. Perhaps the one she mesmerizes the most though is Charlie, someone who becomes her closest friend to the point of them going out together to party, go on trips with Charlie’s family, and share secrets which if either told a soul would mean one killing the other. Something presented as an option after one speaks on the other’s major secret.

Praise

With reading Peace From Broken Pieces comes a lot of information on pathologies and repeating the mistakes of your parents, and in Charlie and Sarah’s relationship, you can see a real example of history repeating itself. For while Charlie and Sarah aren’t emotionally or romantically involved, there remains this intimacy between them which drives them away and brings them together. Leading to perhaps the most interesting scenes in the film for it takes the film from seeming like another coming of age tale, of which a quiet girl is paired with an extrovert, and tries to liven things up. And while talk of virginity is done, there are many parties which show the girls letting loose, and the extroverted one pushes the quiet one out of her comfort zone, there remains some surprises. Most of which deal with what Sarah does to Charlie, and what Charlie’s reactions are.

Criticism

Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about this film is that Sarah is an utterly predictable character. If only because she seems like an old mule of a trope you have seen countless of times. And sadly, while Charlie does create a quite surprising ending to the movie, she sadly is predictable too, and a bit of a bore. Leading to two characters who really don’t express any new ideas, personalities, stories, or even really find a way to grab you into their madness, unless you are bored and have nothing better to watch.

Overall: TV Viewing

While I am very much on the border of saying to skip this, I should note that until Sarah’s predictable secret is revealed, the movie can come off interesting. However, once the secret is revealed, and the movie becomes almost so familiar it makes you wonder if maybe you wrote this, someone stole it, and then wiped your memory, it becomes a serious bore. For with none of the characters presenting interesting personalities, dreams, or conversations, the main selling point is attractive girls who share secrets and let their worlds implode once they are revealed. Something which doesn’t make for a rather enjoyable viewing experience if you have seen this story done many times over.