While watching “The Deepest Breath,” a documentary that palpably evokes the mystery and menace of the deep sea, I found it hard not to think about last month’s Titan submarine disaster. But this movie, on Netflix, invites viewers to immerse themselves alongside thrill-seekers unconstrained by any vessel: its subject is the extreme sport of freediving, in which competitors dive into the depths for minutes without diving gear.
The story revolves around Italian champion Alessia Zecchini and Irish diver Stephen Keenan, who met in 2017 at a competition in the Bahamas, started training together and had a brief romance. Using astonishing underwater footage and videos from their travels, the film profiles the two adventurers before watching a disastrous tragedy that rocked the freediving community.
As the film’s director, Laura McGann, relays these stories, she deliberately withholds certain material to keep the audience in suspense as to whether a death has occurred. Extreme risk is part of freediving; during their training, Zecchini and Keenan became accustomed to experiencing blackouts. The film opens with alarming footage of one such incident, using the life-threatening scenario for narrative tension.
This approach might have endured if the film had combined its anxious mood with an equally compelling, clearer window into the psychology of Zecchini and Keenan. But despite hearing from their fathers and friends, we learn very little about the personal lives of these impressive individuals. When it comes to what drove them, how they interacted with others, or how they handled danger, “The Deepest Breath” offers only superficial observations.
The deepest breath
Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 48 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
