It’s fitting that Alex Parkinson’s feature debut shifts the focus of his usual documentary work. Known for films that explore the human impact of nature rather than nature itself, Parkinson applies a similar approach here. Much like his 2024 project Living With Leopards, he blends archival footage, surveillance recordings, firsthand accounts, interviews, and notably, re-enactments. This hybrid technique is designed to emphasize how the natural world can inspire meaningful connections, create a sense of community, and forge unexpected relationships among people. Parkinson’s ability to blend documentary elements with dramatic re-creations helps convey the emotional and personal stakes of his subjects. In his previous works, he focused on the way people interact with and are shaped by nature, and this film continues that exploration, examining how extreme situations bring out deep bonds among individuals. By using a mix of factual material and artistic interpretation, Parkinson highlights the ways in which these environments test human resilience and forge powerful relationships. This approach may have worked well in his documentary projects, and here, it brings a unique perspective to a dramatic retelling, underlining the humanity at the heart of the survival story while still staying grounded in the reality of the circumstances.
Alex Parkinson’s 2019 documentary Last Breath, co-directed with Richard Da Costa, told the remarkable true story of Chris Lemons, a saturation diver who survived nearly 40 minutes without oxygen in the North Sea near Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The 2025 version of Last Breath takes a cinematic approach, offering a dramatized retelling of the same event while maintaining a documentary-style feel. However, where the original excelled in authenticity and emotional depth, this adaptation struggles to capture the same impact. Despite drawing inspiration from real-life figures, the result feels like a hollow recreation—both lacking in depth and overly stylized.
Last Breath takes cues from the tense, high-stakes storytelling of films like Apollo 13 and Sphere, capturing the uncertainty and danger of navigating unknown territory. It also draws from the procedural style of workplace dramas such as September 5 or All the President’s Men, focusing on how a team methodically handles an unusual, life-threatening situation. While the real-life survival of Chris Lemons is extraordinary, the film struggles to maintain the intensity of its influences. The stakes feel comparatively low—not driven by an imminent disaster or groundbreaking discovery, but by the routine task of replacing a gas pipe deep underwater. This lack of urgency diminishes the film’s emotional impact, preventing the survival story from gripping the audience the way it might have in a higher-stakes context. The potential for tension is undercut by the familiarity of the task at hand, making the unfolding events feel more procedural than life-or-death. Instead of focusing on the dramatic, pulse-pounding aspects of Lemons’ survival, the film becomes bogged down in its adherence to mundane details, missing an opportunity to fully capture the gravity of the situation. As a result, it falls short of creating the sense of urgency and suspense that would make such a remarkable survival story truly compelling.
The true story at the core of Last Breath is undeniably captivating. In 2012, saturation diver Chris Lemons (played by Finn Cole) became trapped underwater after a computer failure set off a chain of disastrous events. His lifeline was severed, cutting off his oxygen supply, and he was left struggling to find a way to safety. Although he should have only had about five minutes of breathable air, Lemons astonishingly survived for an additional 29 minutes without oxygen. The fact that he not only survived but also emerged from the ordeal without lasting physical or psychological damage remains a mystery. This incredible survival story has left experts baffled, as there is no clear explanation for how Lemons managed to endure such a harrowing experience. The film captures this miraculous survival, though the exact mechanics of how he pulled through continue to elude both viewers and those who studied his case.
Last Breath finds its strength when it leans into the technical aspects of its profession, offering the familiar structure of a procedural drama. After an awkward opening filled with predictable foreshadowing and clichéd moments of camaraderie—accentuated by an uncomfortable blend of homoerotic and homophobic banter from Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson)—the film finds its footing in depicting quiet, everyday heroism. Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu) starts off as emotionally detached, mirroring his real-life counterpart, who admitted to feeling “nothing” during Chris Lemons’ near-death experience in the documentary. As the crisis unfolds, however, Yuasa and Allcock form a focused, wordless partnership, working together with precision. Their efforts are shown with an authenticity that helps ground the film in a believable, gritty reality, offering a glimpse into the true nature of teamwork under pressure. This shift in tone provides the film with its most effective moments, focusing on the urgency of the situation rather than overblown emotional dramatization.
The film quickly deflates its tension by being overly faithful to the real-life events. Unlike the documentary, which strategically unveils critical details about Chris Lemons’ ordeal in its final act, the dramatized version presents the story in a continuous, real-time format, almost as though it anticipates the audience’s impatience. This approach removes any sense of suspense or buildup. The dialogue, meanwhile, feels overly familiar, with tired expressions of teamwork and resilience, making the characters’ interactions seem more like scripted responses than authentic exchanges. This predictability weakens the emotional weight of the narrative, reducing it to a series of clichéd moments. On top of this, the film is weighed down by an overly assertive orchestral score that relentlessly underscores every moment, leaving little space for organic emotional resonance. The music constantly reminds the viewer how monumental the events are supposed to feel, effectively drowning out any chance for more subtle or natural storytelling. Rather than building emotional connection or tension, the soundtrack becomes a distraction. The film’s focus on mimicking real-life events, rather than exploring the complexities of the human experience within them, strips the story of the raw energy and suspense that should define such a gripping survival tale.
In the end, Last Breath struggles to stand on its own beyond the documentary it is based on. While Woody Harrelson brings some depth to his character, Duncan Allcock, a dedicated diver on his final rotation, the rest of the characters—such as Dave Yuasa, Chris Lemons, and Lemons’ fiancée Morag—are reduced to one-dimensional figures, serving more as plot devices than fully realized individuals. This approach, which may have worked in Parkinson’s documentary work, feels tiresome in a narrative setting. For a film centered on the claustrophobic, high-stakes world of deep-sea diving, Last Breath surprisingly lacks intensity. The film’s tension is subdued, with the focus on re-enacting events rather than immersing the audience in the pressure of the situation. In the end, the sense of urgency that should define such a survival story feels submerged, just like the divers themselves.
Title: Last Breath
Distributor: Focus Features
Release Date: February 28, 2025
Director: Alex Parkinson
Screenwriters: Mitchell LaFortune, Alex Parkinson, and David Brooks
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes