Why We Breathe movie review

This lovely film is now on DVD, streaming on Prime, as well as PureFlix.

You can watch it for FREE on Amazon Prime by clicking on this coupon!

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 30 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Charity Spencer, the producer of the movie, kindly sent me a press screener so I could review this movie for you! The movie came out a while ago, but I finally had time to watch it and I always want to support new filmmakers and actors. The movie is about a young woman and her daughter who relocate from the big city to small-town Nolensville, TN to escape a violent past that will eventually catch up with them. The movie was written and directed by D. Erik Parks.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast includes all new faces for me.
When I first saw Carrie (played by the lovely Alexandra Sedlak) working at the diner at the opening of the movie, I thought she was a teenager. She looked way too young to be a mother of a 10-year old daughter, so I thought she might have been miscast. As I thought about it, it supported the idea that she had made mistakes as a young woman. Alexandra did a very nice job as the protagonist.
It’s always refreshing to see a clean, family-friendly film that inspires and grabs your heart.
The characters seemed pretty realistic, filled with real-life problems.
The plot seemed pretty believable.
I really liked how Uncle Joe (played beautifully by Donnie Clark) described the title of the movie. He explained that we each need to figure out the purpose of why we’re here, why we breathe in order to find meaning in our everyday lives. Why do YOU breathe? Comment down below!
While it IS a “Christian” film, it doesn’t bang you over the head with preaching like some of those do. The director intentionally tried to create a “crossover” film that would speak to everyone. Spencer describes the movie as “subtly religious” while Parks calls it an actual ministry that attempts to bring comfort and inspiration.
The movie was filmed in Nolensville, which is an actual town in Tennessee that the director fell in love with. Some of the locals got to perform as Extras in the movie. I always love that when directors reach out to the community like that.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There are some forced acting moments that pulled me away from the moment.
The plot moves very slowly.
A lot of Christian movies like this are super sad throughout the entire film. There needed to be more happy moments to balance out the sad ones. There were a few attempts at cheerful montages, but overall, it was just sad.
The budget was probably pretty low for this film, so the production quality suffers a little bit because of that. For example, there are some editing issues and shaky-cam moments.
Act III feels a bit rushed with a predictable ending and cliched writing.
It’s realistic to include close-minded Christians in the story, but it sure made me cringe to see. Christians who behave badly like that absolutely do not understand the gospel of Jesus Christ!

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Alcohol
An unmarried couple lives together
Domestic abuse

THEMES:

Single mothers
Abusive relationships
Parenting and family responsibilities
PTSD
Overcoming past mistakes
Starting over
Judgmental Christians
Accepting help from others
Community support
Hope
Believing in your dreams

FUNNY LINES:

“Sleep tight. Don’t let the critters bite.” – Uncle Earl (Derrick Dee Drake) “I think he means bedbugs.” – Carrie Hicks (Alexandra Sedlak)
“Bless your heart.” – “Judgmental lady” (Mellie Brackett) (That’s what people in the South say to buffer insults that come out of their mouth)