Breathe

This is a beautifully filmed movie. It's inspiring to watch the devotion of the wife in supporting her husband struck down with polio at age 28. His subsequent efforts to live outside the hospital and advances in a wheelchair with a ventilator attached are quite illuminating. Especially with what happened to Christopher Reeve it is still relevant today. This movie doesn't focus too much on the awful side which is good or it would be too depressing.

The leads are watchable. Claire Foy QE2 of the Crown speaks and acts a lot like she does as Queen Elizabeth. Andrew Garfield isn't one to shy away from difficult roles. Here he speaks with his British accent.

It's a good thing to be reminded about Polio amidst the recent debate whether or no to vaccinate.

English isn't my native language, so forgive me in advance:)

I loved this movie. I was impressed by the acting skills of Andrew Garfield, totally believable. Claire Foy did a great job too, I think she's a very good actress, I have to admit that at times I found it difficult to not see Queen Elisabeth in her.

The story line was a bit rushed though, their relationship didn't really develop on the screen and for me it was hard to believe she really loved him in the very beginning of the film. But towards the end it was totally believable. One thing I missed was a great score, the music was almost absent, they should have asked Rachel Portman for the soundtrack (Never Let Me Go). But hey, that's just my opinion.

I shed some tears at the end.. It's a story about true love! Go watch it, you won't regret it!

This film tells the story of a man who contracted polio while in Africa in 1950's. He became completely paralysed from neck down, and was given six months to live by the doctors. With the support of his pregnant wife and his many friends, he breaks all confines and expectations imposed on him.

I cannot quite imagine that the wheelchair is only such a recent invention! For something that is so vital and integral to modern day health care, it is a shock to me that it was only so recently that Cavendish came up with this transformative idea. The story is very touching. It is great that he had the support of so many loving people, which gave him the power to live and inspire and transform the lives of others. The technical aspects of this film is great as well. The scene in the German hospital is unbelievably effective, and provokes people to think what exactly is good for disabled people. The ending is very powerful, and it is augmented by the fact that it gives time for the profound events to set in. I really enjoyed this film. It is a truly touching film that makes you examine what you have in life.

The story of Robin Cavendish, paralysed by polio as a young man, deserves to be told.

The cinematography in Africa, Spain and England is stunning, and the costumes and sets are perfectly portrayed - from the 1950s to the 1990s You get the sense of how amazingly brave Robin's wife, Diana Cavendish, was.

With a baby, stuck in Kenya and a husband suddenly a quadriplegic and breathing on a ventilator, instead of collapsing, she pushed for Robin to be repatriated to England and released from hospital into her care at home.

The couple proceed to smash expectations of Robin's quality of life, holding parties, taking overseas holidays, and campaigning to change prejudices and improve the lives of the severely disabled, who up till then had been shut away, out of view, and treated as vegetables.

The acting is great and the script bubbles along well. Diana's eccentric twin brothers provide comic relief.

One of the quibbles I have is, how did Robin afford to apparently live in such comfort, and to travel so much?

It's hinted, but not really explained, that his family is well-off and well connected.

The flip side is that you wonder about how poor people in Robin's position cope.

Not saying he had it easy, but he was lucky to have access to more comforts and options than most.

Also, the movie, produced by Robin's son Jonathan, I think tries to be perhaps too jokey at times - in the vein of The Durrells.

Maybe that was necessary, because Cavendish's life was so bleak a lot of the time.

If I may give an advice to you, don't read anything about this film. Just watch it: the less you know, the more you'll be wonderfully surprised.

Perhaps all you'd like to know is that it's a British top-notch production, based on a really interesting (true) story, with a flawless script and an excellent cast. A very entertaining 112 minutes.

And yes: Tom Hollander is playing the Blacker twins. Both of them. And they sing together 'Goodbye-ee'.

Enjoy.