Learning to Breathe Under Water: An Intense Diving Drama

Eight-year-old Leo (Ezra Carlisle) lives in a house where a giant shark-built by his artist father, Peter (Rory Kinnear)-dominates the roof. The shark is Leo's best friend, a confidant in a world upended by loss. Peter, a widower grappling with his own sorrow, retreats into his work, leaving Leo to escape into fantasy realms as a coping mechanism. Their fragile equilibrium is disrupted by the arrival of Anya (Maria Bakalova), a spirited au pair who refuses to let Leo hide from reality. She challenges him-and, by extension, Peter-to confront the messy, beautiful chaos of real life. Declan Conlon appears as Cormac, adding a layer of community to this small, insular story.

---

"Learning to Breathe Under Water" opens with a visual punch: a towering shark perched atop a suburban home, its fins cutting against the sky. It's a striking image that promises a film unafraid of the surreal. Director Rebekah Fortune, working from a script that understands grief's tendency to distort the everyday, leans into this magic realism. Leo's imaginary shark is more than a pet; it's a vessel for his unprocessed pain, a guardian in a world where adults are too lost to guide him.

Rory Kinnear delivers a masterclass in restrained anguish as Peter. He doesn't overplay the widower's despair; instead, he lets it seep through clenched jaws and absent gazes. His best moments come in silence-watching Leo from a doorway, or staring at an unfinished sculpture. Kinnear makes Peter's selfishness sympathetic, even when his neglect of Leo borders on infuriating. This is a man drowning in plain sight, and Kinnear never lets us forget it.

Ezra Carlisle, as Leo, is a revelation. Child actors often struggle with roles requiring emotional depth, but Carlisle navigates Leo's journey from withdrawn fantasist to tentative realist with remarkable nuance. His scenes with the shark-rendered through minimal CGI and clever practical effects-feel genuinely poignant, never cloying. When Leo finally begins to engage with Anya and his father, Carlisle avoids the trap of precociousness; his growth feels earned.

Maria Bakalova's Anya is the film's wild card, and the script doesn't always know what to do with her. Bakalova brings her signature comic timing and warmth, but her character occasionally feels like a narrative shortcut-a catalyst rather than a fully realized person. Still, she sparks the film's funniest moments, and her chemistry with Carlisle tempers the story's heavier beats.

Where "Learning to Breathe Under Water" stumbles is its tonal balancing act. The film shifts between whimsical fantasy (Leo's underwater daydreams, a sequence involving floating paint) and stark realism (Peter's drunken meltdown, Leo's silent tears) with an uneven hand. Some transitions feel jarring, as though two different films are vying for control. The comedy-gentle, often British in its dryness-works best in small doses; when it overreaches, it undercuts the emotional stakes.

Declan Conlon's Cormac, a neighbor who offers gruff wisdom, is a welcome presence but is underused. The supporting cast is solid, but the script's focus on the central trio leaves peripheral characters feeling sketched rather than drawn.

Visually, Fortune and cinematographer [uncredited in provided metadata] create a palette that shifts from muted grays to vibrant blues, mirroring Leo's emotional awakening. The shark itself is a triumph of design: intimidating yet soft-eyed, a monster that's also a comfort. The rooftop setting-part studio, part sanctuary-becomes a character in its own right, a liminal space between grief and possibility.

The film's 95-minute runtime serves it well; it never overstays its welcome. But that brevity also means some themes remain unexplored. Peter's artistic process, for instance, feels like a rich avenue for exploring male grief, yet it's mostly backdrop. Anya's backstory is hinted at but never fleshed out. The film trusts its audience to fill in gaps, which works for some but may frustrate others seeking fuller resolution.

---

Pros

• Rory Kinnear delivers a career-best performance, nuanced and heartbreaking.
• Ezra Carlisle is a remarkable young actor, balancing vulnerability and resilience.
• The shark metaphor is visually inventive and emotionally resonant.
• Maria Bakalova injects much-needed energy and humor.
• The film's emotional core-grief processed through imagination-is sincerely handled.

Cons

• Tonal shifts between comedy and drama feel abrupt and unearned at times.
• Anya's character remains underdeveloped, relying on Bakalova's charisma to fill gaps.
• The script's ambition outstrips its execution in the second act.
• Peripheral characters like Cormac are underexplored.
• Some fantastical sequences clash with the film's more grounded moments.

---

"Learning to Breathe Under Water" is a flawed but affecting film that succeeds primarily because of its cast. Rory Kinnear and Ezra Carlisle navigate grief and connection with a tenderness that compensates for the script's uneven rhythms. Director Rebekah Fortune has crafted a story that respects its characters, even when the story mechanics falter. It's a film that asks us to embrace life's messiness-and mostly practices what it preaches. Recommended for those who appreciate heartfelt, imperfect dramas about family and loss, with the caveat that patience is required when the tone wavers. A promising step forward for all involved, and a reminder that sometimes the most honest stories are the least tidy.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter