There is something deeply satisfying in watching James Bond or Batman engage in preternatural maneuvers when bringing supervillains to heel. There is something even more deeply satisfying about watching ordinary people rising to the occasion when confronted with an overwhelming crisis, and Alex Parkinson’s LAST BREATH, based on a true story, is a perfectly executed example of such a film. Parkison is also the filmmaker behind the documentary of the same name currently on Amazon Prime, but do yourself a favor, don’t spoil the ending for yourself. Go willingly on the emotional journey Mr. Parkison has created for you.
We are advised before the film begins that the work depicted in LAST BREATH, repairing underwater pipelines at ocean depths of up to 1000 feet, is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. This is coupled with an enigmatic shot of a motionless diver in the inky darkness sea depths. We will discover who that diver in in due course, but first we are introduced to the three protagonists. There is Duncan (Woody Harrelson) packing his own pillow and going out on his last 28-day rotation in the North Sea, Dave (Simu Liu), nicknamed “The Vulcan” for his work ethic that does not include making friends (or wearing clothes while working out), and finally Chris (Finn Cole), the likable kid with a fiancée and a newly purchased piece of oceanfront property in Scotland where he and Morag (Bobby Rainsbury) are building a house.
There is an unfussy expositional tour as we are introduced to these characters, and to the mechanisms involved in performing these death-defying dives, as we follow Chris as he boards the good ship Tharos, greeting and being greeted fondly by the other member of the ship’s crew. Parkinson uses a tracking shot that takes Chris through the snaking corridors to give us an excellent sense of the massive proportions of the ship, and the camaraderie that includes swiping two bottles of hot sauce from the galley. It also serves to contrast that cramped but ample space with that of the pod in which these three men will spend their 28 days, with a special atmosphere piped in so that their bodies will be able to withstand the depths at which they will be working. A procedure that so alters their bodies that it will take three days of decompression before they can return to a normal atmosphere without their organs exploding.
After traveling over 100 miles from the Scottish coast and into the turbulent North Sea, the three men are dispatched to repair a natural gas pipeline and thereby ensure that the Scots will be warm when winter arrives. Once again, the necessary exposition is effortlessly conveyed as we watch the rigorous protocols involved in suiting up the frail human form to face complete darkness, freezing temperatures, and crushing water pressure. Communications, lights, and the life-giving umbilical cord that keeps the divers tethered to the diving bell that takes them to the bottom, and that provides air and heat to the diver. Unfortunately, during that first dive of the rotation, the seas are especially rough, and the computer system that keeps the ship stable goes offline. In the confusion, Chris’ umbilical cord snags, eventually snapping as the ship is no longer able to maintain its position and is tossed around the surface amid towering swells. Left with 10 minutes of air in an auxiliary pack, Chris maneuvers by flare-light to return to where the others can find him, and the ship’s crew desperately try to wrest control of the Tharos from the storm and the tech failure.
There is not a wasted moment in the 93 minutes running time. The rescue, with reminders appearing on screen of how much air Chris has left, and later how long he’s been without oxygen, is shown with visual precision that uses key moments to increase the tension as time, and air, run out. Various rescue attempts have an emotional heft thanks to an understated stress that bursts forth only when attempts are stymied, or when a plan succeeds. The, ahem, decompression of anguish or joy is electric by comparison. Particularly good is Harrelson with his avuncular warmth when verbally sparring with the dive supervisor (Mark Bonnar) in the control room, matching jibe for jibe that conveys years of teamwork and respect, or trying to mask his sense of loss over being forced out from a job he loves. Matching him is Cliff Curtis as the ship’s captain, showing the right stuff at every turn, and taking the biggest gamble of the story with a matchless blend of determination and measured recklessness.
LAST BREATH is a gripping drama, harrowing in its depiction of the precarious nature of human life when faced with the natural elements or with tech gone wrong, but it is also a very human one. We are invested in these people because they are so invested in saving one person whom they love. Prepare to go through an emotional wringer, and to be glad that you did.
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