The path chosen for Andy Serkis' directorial debut Breathe may be curious for fans of his motion capture work. Rather than a sprawling fantasy epic with plenty of roles set aside for himself, Serkis has crafted a period drama with the central roles going to Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy. Judging by the response out of TIFF, Serkis may be a major factor this awards season, and not for anything he does in front of the camera.
Based on a true story, the film centers on Robin Cavendish, who in 1958 contracts polio and is paralyzed from the waist down, given only months to live. Foy plays his wife who sticks by his side and convinces him to embrace life and not be defined by his disability. Here's the synopsis:
For his directorial debut, Andy Serkis brings to life the inspiring true love story between Robin and Diana Cavendish (Academy Award® nominee Andrew Garfield, Golden Globe® winner Claire Foy), an adventurous couple who refuse to give up in the face of a devastating disease. When Robin is struck down by polio at the age of 28, he is confined to a hospital bed and given only a few months to live. With the help of Diana’s twin brothers (Tom Hollander) and the groundbreaking ideas of inventor Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville), Robin and Diana dare to escape the hospital ward to seek out a full and passionate life together — raising their young son, traveling and devoting their lives to helping other polio patients.
So it's very much in the vein of The Theory of Everything, which earned Eddie Redmayne an Oscar for Best Actor. Could Garfield, who was nominated just last year for Hacksaw Ridge, take the stage next? Breathe opens October 13th.
