Breathing Happy

I haven't seen a movie move me in quite a while- Having a family member struggle with addiction- it hit home.

The entire cast was great! It was genuinely portrayed and raw.

Dylan Bradley- (Shane Brady)I loathed you, then felt sorry for you, I cried for and with you. You made me understand some of an addicts pain.

Briana Bradley- (Brittney Escalante) sister you hit a homerun with your portrayal in your sister/addict relationship and daughter/family relationship. You were authentic and spectacular-

Again the cast was great- everyone was genuine in their rolls.

I didn't expect to cry- yet I did. I'll watch again, this time with Kleenex in tow.

Many of the other reviews seem to focus on the plot of the movie, this review will mostly avoid that. To quickly sum the movie up it's about a guys struggle to stay sober for a year. All of that is well and good but they way the writers portray his saga could give you a headache. Most of the movie is spent jumping around time periods. At one moment it's the present and the next the past to the point that movie feels like it's battling HDHD. In addition the movie employs heavy use of metaphors to illustrate the main characters struggles. However it comes across as a poor attempt at trying to convey the depth of thought someone like Carl Jung or J krishnamerti might. A major drawback is the main actors representation of a person battling with sobriety, it's flat out not believable.

I've read that this is a movie whose main demographic should be addicts and recovering addicts... and while this film may offer unique insight for those groups, I am in neither, and thought this was brilliant and groundbreaking. It is a mindbending look inside the brain and life of a recovering addict as he nears a sobriety milestone, and it is filled with humanity, regret, familial crises, and sadness... yet at the same time shows a world of hope, a sense of humor, and a dogged determination to beat addiction.

Wildly creative, frenetically paced, and vibrantly shot, it is filled with sharp dialogue, hallucinations, magic, and trauma, and probably paints a realistic picture of the struggle for sobriety in the face of immense personal tragedy. I thought it was terrific. Huge props to Shane Brady for writing, directing, editing, and starring in this unique and fascinating film.

I wasn't massively convinced I'd enjoy this film going into the showing. My suspicion was that it would be yet another examination of addiction, another 'messy' life, another selfish protagonist who was horrible to all other humans but for whom I was supposed to feel something other than annoyance (lots of those stories around at the minute, some fantastic, some properly terrible).

But shame on me for doubting, because it was excellent. And the fact that this sort of story is so hard to tell makes it even more laudable. The script strayed into brilliantly off-beat and strange territory where others would have become maudlin. A brilliant performance from Brady - in a role that in other hands could result in a very unlikeable character - kept me invested. There are weirdly funny moments followed by bits where I wanted to cry my eyes out. Beautiful cinematography from Zissimopulos never lets up, keeping us on a relentless, moving, skewed ride through the past and present of the characters. Totally surreal and yet believable.

The thing that sealed it for me was reaction from the audience in the cinema, which will stay with me for a long time. Most looked like they'd just been punched in the gut - in the best way.

I got the great pleasure of seeing this movie at FILMQUEST this year and was very impressed. Sure, it's not a big budget film by any means, but that didn't effect my enjoyment at all. The performances are all top top notch, the direction is fantastic, the shot choices are great, the editing is really strong. It's tremendously funny and touching and sad and challenging all at the same time. It goes to show how a creative storyteller can put something special together with heart and leave a lasting impression. Can't wait to see what Shane and company do next!

Now I need to write more to make my review long enough. :)