Breathe
Film Movement | Release Date: September 11, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
78
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshSep 17, 2015
The entire piece is precisely woven together, from script to performance to execution, and the result is a chilling study of emotional annihilation and its aftermath. Read full review
90
TheWrapInkoo KangSep 11, 2015
Anchored by exceptional performances by the main actresses, Breathe is a confrontation with the terrifying volatility of adolescence. Read full review
90
VarietyScott FoundasSep 8, 2015
Melanie Laurent brings a sure, sensitive hand to tonally tricky material and draws superb work from relative newcomers Josephine Japy (“Cloclo”) and Lou De Laage (“Jappeloup”). Read full review
83
Portland OregonianMarc MohanOct 6, 2015
Only in its final moments does Breathe extend its reach beyond experiences that most, if not all, teens (and ex-teens) can relate to. When it does, it might just leave you breathless. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerSep 11, 2015
At first I thought Breathe would play out like a Gallic version of “Mean Girls,” but it’s more troubling than that. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloSep 9, 2015
Breathe, the second feature directed by French actress Mélanie Laurent (best known for playing the vengeful Shoshanna in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds), tackles the subject from a refreshingly novel angle, depicting a platonic friendship that quickly grows toxic. Read full review
83
The PlaylistJessica KiangSep 8, 2015
Right up until the film’s very closing moments, in which the carefully maintained tension and tone snaps under the ratchet of one melodramatic turn too many, it is not just an absorbing performance piece, but a film of real directorial confidence and flair. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternSep 17, 2015
I can tell you that Ms. Laurent’s direction is astute and economical, that both of the film’s young stars give fine performances, and that Breathe is a very good title for a film that ever so gradually takes your breath away. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen HoldenSep 10, 2015
Breathe conveys an uncanny insight into the psychology of late adolescence, when lingering childhood fantasies can combust with burgeoning adult sexuality in a swirl of uncontrollable feelings. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijSep 8, 2015
Though the story has undergone quite a few changes, what’s intact is the novel’s grittiness and emotional honesty, which more than compensates for the occasional coming-of-age cliche. Read full review
80
Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekSep 8, 2015
It's a chilly, elegantly assured little picture, a horror story with its roots not in fantasy but in the reality of hurt feelings. Read full review
75
Boston GlobePeter KeoughOct 2, 2015
Some of Tarantino’s taste for brutish resolutions seems to have slipped into her otherwise nuanced, sensitive, and unflinching adaptation of this YA novel by French author Anne-Sophie Brasme. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezSep 17, 2015
Breathe is empathetic and humane — the movie cares equally about both girls, each damaged in her own way — and it ends with a brusque, unexpected reminder that kindness and patience can easily curdle. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleySep 11, 2015
It's a confident and scary film. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 16, 2015
In some ways it plays like a horror movie, in other ways it’s almost a documentary. The most interesting thing about the movie is the balance of tone that Laurent strikes between recognition and repulsion. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierSep 10, 2015
This beautifully observed drama creates an intimate feel and gently observed moments of connection and angst. Then things move forward with almost too heavy of a heart. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJames LattimerSep 7, 2015
Aside from the innate understanding of female friendship dynamics, it's hard to see exactly what else Mélanie Laurent brings to this overly familiar story. Read full review
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