69
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80SlashfilmBen PearsonSlashfilmBen PearsonA mesmerizing, powerful glimpse at the irresistible siren call of the deep and a somber record of the human cost of pushing boundaries.
- Rounding out the pervasive sense of fear and ecstasy is a mesmerizing, sometimes mind-altering, depiction of the ocean’s depths. When one beholds Zecchini’s figure undulating to the sound of nothing, it’s all too clear that thrill-seeking is only part of the story.
- 80The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeThe Irish TimesDonald ClarkeThe copious talking heads fail to open up the intellectual wiring required to derive pleasure from an activity that invites submarine asphyxiation. What we do get is lucid explanation of the sport’s mechanics and satisfactory celebration of two impressively unstoppable personalities. A smart buy for the streamer.
- 75ColliderTherese LacsonColliderTherese LacsonMcGann weaves together an emotional and tragic tale in the third act, one that hits hard after following the story of these two lovers throughout the film. Mixing this with the magnificent footage of an alien underwater world, one that few of us will ever see with our own eyes, and there is a lot to like.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergThe Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergEven though the doc’s storytelling has an approach to twistiness that I’m finding increasingly irritating every time it’s used, the sheer volume of visceral responses produced by The Deepest Breath is hard to deny.
- 70We Got This CoveredMartin CarrWe Got This CoveredMartin CarrFilled with awe-inspiring imagery, and a heartbreaking real-life tragedy, 'The Deepest Breath' is powerful stuff.
- 70VarietyGuy LodgeVarietyGuy LodgeAs a pure adrenaline-rush experience, however, The Deepest Breath is hard to argue with, coming closer than might seem possible to conveying the exhilaration and/or terror of descending further than the length of a football field into infinite aqua.
- 60TheWrapSimon AbramsTheWrapSimon AbramsThe retrospective nature of this documentary character study requires some creative liberties, but treating one of your two main characters like a special guest in her own movie suggests that telling a better story was unfortunately the top priority here.
- 58The Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsThe Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsThe narrative manipulation is the only thing clouding an otherwise crystal-clear dip into sublime terror.
- 58IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichGiven the brief period of time that separated romance and tragedy, it’s understandable that McGann might have been grasping at straws, but omitting certain voices — for what seems to be the benefit of cheap suspense — can’t help but cut her movie off at the knees. The result is a fascinating but frustratingly superficial portrait.