And Breathe Normally
And Breathe Normally (Icelandic: Andið eðlilega) is a 2018 Icelandic drama film directed by Ísold Uggadóttir. It was screened in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival,[1] where it received the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award.[2]
And Breathe Normally | |
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Film poster | |
Directed by | Ísold Uggadóttir |
Produced by | Skúli Malmquist |
Written by | Ísold Uggadóttir |
Starring |
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Music by | Gísli Galdur |
Cinematography | Ita Zbroniec-Zajt |
Edited by | Frédérique Broos |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
Country |
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Language | Icelandic |
Plot
Lara is a struggling single mother. She has maxed her credit cards, lost her apartment, and is living in her automobile with her six-year-old son, Eldar. She takes a job as a border security trainee with the Reykjanesbær airport police, on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Adja, a traveler from Guinea-Bissau whose girlfriend was killed for being a lesbian, is trying to escape from her country's persecution of homosexuals by seeking asylum in Canada. After Lara flags a discrepancy in Adja's passport, she is separated from her fellow travelers (her daughter and sister) and held in a refugee center until a decision is made about her immigration status. The two women's lives intersect and they form an unlikely bond.
Cast
- Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir as Lara
- Babetida Sadjo as Adja
- Patrik Nökkvi Pétursson as Eldar
- Bragi Árnason
- Jakob S. Jónsson
- Sveinn Geirsson
- Helga Vala Helgadóttir
- Þorsteinn Bachmann
- Guðbjörg Thoroddsen
- Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir
- Gunnar Jónsson
Production
And Breathe Normally was filmed in Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula in the fall and winter of 2016 over a period of 28 days. Editing took place in Brussels, Belgium where the film was also sound mixed. Color grading was completed at Shoot & Post in Gothenburg, Sweden.[3][4][5]
Release
And Breathe Normally held its international premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2018.[6][7] It was released theatrically in Iceland on 9 March 2018.[6]
The film screened at the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival on 19 June 2018.[8]
Critical response
At its Sundance Film Festival premiere, the critical response was overwhelmingly positive. Screen Daily critic Allan Hunter compared the film to the works of Dardenne brothers and Ken Loach writing: "Deserving of comparisons with the films of the Dardenne brothers or the Ken Loach/Paul Laverty collaborations, And Breathe Normally is all the more impressive for its refusal to inflate drama into melodrama. Circumstances and situations are carefully observed and presented to the viewer without any need to tug at the heartstrings. Uggadottir also secures sympathetic, naturalistic performances from her cast that help to draw the viewer into their lives."[9]
Variety critic Alissa Simon described the film as an "impressively acted social-realist drama."[10] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter made a point of mentioning Uggadóttir's "sure grasp of naturalistic performance and an eye for character-shaping landscape."[11]
The film holds a 92% critical approval rating, and a 73% audience approval rating, on Rotten Tomatoes,[12] and an average score of 77 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[13]
Home media
And Breathe Normally was released as VOD on Netflix on 4 January 2019.[14][15]
References
- Debruge, Peter (29 November 2017). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils Full 2018 Features Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- "2018 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced". Sundance Institute. 27 January 2018.
- "and-breathe-normally". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "Icelandic Director Ísold Uggadóttir Talks "And Breathe Normally"". The Reykjavik Grapevine. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "How Color and Sound Create the Bleak, Icelandic World of Sundance-Winner 'And Breathe Normally'". No Film School. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "And Breathe Normally". Icelandic Film Centre. 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- Willard, Sophie (21 January 2018). "Sundance 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ísold Uggadóttir — "And Breathe Normally"". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- "Frameline42 Program Guide". San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival. 2018. p. 24. Retrieved 19 November 2019. (via issuu.)
- Hunter, Allan (19 January 2018). "'And Breathe Normally': Sundance Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- Simon, Alissa (22 January 2018). "Film Review: 'And Breathe Normally'". Variety.
- Linden, Sheri (1 February 2018). "'And Breathe Normally': Film Review | Sundance 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- And Breathe Normally (2018), retrieved 14 July 2020
- And Breathe Normally, retrieved 14 July 2020
- "And Breathe Normally". instantwatcher.com. 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- Wilson, Jonathon (4 January 2019). "'And Breathe Normally' | Netflix Film Review". Ready Steady Cut. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
External links
- And Breathe Normally on IMDb
- Demurtas, Alice (10 April 2018). "Keeping It Real: Icelandic Director Ísold Uggadóttir Talks "And Breathe Normally"". The Reykjavík Grapevine.