The Murmur Before the Dive
When Last Breath (2025) was first mentioned in conversation, it immediately grabbed attention, integrating one of the strongest hooks available to any narrative: it was based on a true story. It was a true story about a dramatic incident involving deep-sea divers in Scotland in 2012. The thought of a ‘miracle survival’ of an individual who was stranded deep under the sea with an empty oxygen tank was close to ‘un-filmable’ and for that reason, it was even more enticing to film enthusiasts.
The film’s trailer was full of suspense and attention to detail, highlighting elements such as claustrophobia and the true nature of the underwater environment. The film’s visuals included dark water and diver suits with shots of a ship drifting in the water. The film was a ‘quiet bookmark’ for most people, piquing curiosity and interest in the film.
Since director Alex Parkinson had previously completed a documentary with the same title in 2019 based on the same event, there were greater expectations this time around. Audiences were hoping for realism, technical precision, and emotional power. They wanted more than another survival drama. There was also the question of whether blockbuster actors, Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu, would bring emotional power or merely spectacle.
The promotional build-up anticipated the unusual mix of fact, fear, and fascination. For those who had seen the documentary or read accounts about the actual incident, Last Breath was a cinematic experience of endurance in narrative form. It was a story you could feel while watching.
Under Pressure: The Story and Emotional Undercurrents
At its core, Last Breath tells the story of Lemons which he is a saturation diver working in the North Sea. He is part of a small, highly skilled team working on repairing a pipeline under extreme circumstances. During one of his descents, a malfunction causes the support ship to drift and sever Lemons’ lifeline, the umbilical cable. He is then encased in total darkness at 300 feet below, with only a couple of minutes of emergency oxygen.
The pressure is constant. You can feel the water closing in on you and the time running out. The film portrays the terror of the bottomless water and the isolation-induced anxiousness of the mind in a brilliantly artistic manner.
Chris (Finn Cole) is no Hollywood hero. He is simple, unassuming and profoundly human. The emotional core of the story is his relationship with his fiancée, Morag, and his desire to cement his self-worth. Unlike Chris, Duncan (Woody Harrelson), the supervisor, and David (Simu Liu), the fellow experienced diver, have their own moving burdens: the helplessness of watching a man you know slowly running out of time, guilt, and a twisted sense of loyalty.
The film employs the technical aspects in an extraordinary way to integrate the different story arcs. The chilling silence, distorted voices on the comms, and the confined diving bell create a sense of entrapment in the audience. The cinematography markedly the claustrophobia, concentrating on the ship’s dimly illuminated corridors and the endless blackness of water. The sound design, minimal and parasitic in nature, is the type to make you hold your breath, even unconsciously.
Some felt that the emotional beats were understated, that the film did not spend enough time on the backstories or aftermaths. Others, however, viewed this as a strength. Last Breath does not waste time romanticizing tragedy. It remains within the moment. Every second could be the last.
Faces you know, stakes you don’t
One of the most fascinating aspects of Last Breath is how the real lives of the actors paralleled their on-screen roles. Woody Harrelson, who has always been a mix of intensity and vulnerability, adds complexity to Duncan — a man who is battling the inner tyranny of leadership and the outer fear of fatalism. Off screen, Harrelson has talked about the expectation of always being the one to guide or lead. That duality is prominent in Harrelson’s depiction of Duncan. The calm panic of Duncan’s voice is counterpointed by his weary eyes and the panic of Duncan’s voice is counterpointed by the calm despair of his eyes.
Stepping in a quieter territory, Simu Liu, who portrays an action hero in other productions, plays a professional, David, who is confronted by helplessness, and, in a way, Liu’s real-life journey is similar. Liu has frequently discussed imposter syndrome and an identity validation struggle within the realm of Hollywood. The composed self-doubt of Liu’s character seems to resonate with the very struggle of Liu.
Finn Cole, as Chris Lemons, carries the emotional weight of the film. Having primarily acted in crime dramas and youth-centric stories, Cole underwent substantial physical and mental preparation in order to withstand incredible isolation. There is a unique blend of courage and subtle panic in his performance which is what makes Chris profoundly relatable.
Having worked with diving consultants, the cast of the movie trained extensively to attain a semblance of realism, even to the point of spending hours in heavy suits designed to simulate underwater weight and restricted movement. The production recreated deep diving conditions to large water tanks which resulted in exhaustion, dehydration, and near fainting. The stress of these conditions provided an authenticity to the performance which no visual effects would be able to replicate.
What Worked and What Wobbled
The split reception garnered by Last Breath was different—yet valid— sides seemed to cohere on one point: it felt real.
The underwater scenes were filmed beautifully and arrestingly, not in an ostentatious way, but in the way an eerie silence engulfs all living creatures. The ocean was both lovely and morbid in the muted shades of greens and blues. Every vibration was silenced, every hiss of the air tank turned into part of an unsettling rhythm. The visual storytelling was so effective, it literally gave viewers an exhilarating sense of panic.
Some felt the pacing was too tight, but this was an effective choice. The currents of sentimentality were mostly felt in the negative space around the core personal intertwining of subplots, especially Chris and Morag’s relationship.
Annexed to this, the film’s sound design was remarkable. A competitive sense of foreboding was created by the combination of the unconventional patterns of breath within the helmet, the irregular crackle of a broken radio, the intrusively timed creaks of metal, and the silence in between. We were led to the conclusion that the real antagonist in Last Breath was not a human, but time.
The performance of Last Breath at the box office could be described as moderate. It was not an instant blockbuster, but it was well appreciated by audiences who liked real thrillers. Discussions of the movie completed the box critiques, praising the tension of the movie and its realness. It was contrasted with Gravity and The Martian but described as darker and grounded. There was enough of it to entice the audience to more profound discussions.
The Secrets Below the Surface
Even with the problems Below the Surface had, it went to box as smooth as possible. There was the report of the director Alex Parkinson, who just directed the documentary and is familiar with the material, the problems of translating realness of the documentary and the cinematic authentically came into play. There was also debate on the jargon to use, if it was meant for real technicians or if it was simple for the mainstream audience.
Most of the production problems had to do with the North Sea leg of the production. The problems had to do with the real production costs of the film, and the Safety and cost problems led to the huge tanks in Malta. Moving from the North Sea to the tanks was to change the movie, according to South Below Surface, it was to change the atmosphere. It was described as giving the crew more to work with and creating a more daunting atmosphere. The crew endured more to contain the heat and cold and silence in the tanks then the real divers endured. the atmosphere was reminiscent of the real divers described.
Some crew members also experienced hardships during the rain and storm sequences filmed on the ship’s deck, as on any wet deck the use of water and wind machines. The combination of water, wind machines, and heavy diving suits used to perform the stunts caused uncomfortable and dangerous minor injuries to the crew. In the spirit of realism, pride and dedication were the reasons to keep going.
Working close to the production, the real Chris Lemons consulted on the actual events of the production. The actors often noted how surreal it was to enact the character of a person who actually lived through the events. It was noted that during one of the table scenes, Finn Cole broke down while listening to Lemons explain the moment he ran out of oxygen, as Lemons lived that moment. It was proof of how the real story still echoed in the cast and crew.
Months later, Last Breath was still resonating as a real story, not just another survival film. It was not about the will to defy death in the moments and hours it surrounded, but about the deep breath it took in to face death, breath after breath.
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