Valentina Buendía/Staff reporter

Breathe, the fabulous and truly moving movie based on a true story not only brings a lump to the throat, but brings soulfulness, empathy, sensitivity, and a sense of warmth.

It tells the inspiring story of Robin Cavendish, played by the amazing Andrew Garfield, and his struggles with the poliovirus. 

It came out in 2017 and it was written by William Nicholson and directed by Andy Serkis who made his directing debut with this film, and he did a great job of portraying a sentiment of celebration of life.

The movie begins in the late ’50s with 28-year-old Robin who is newly married to his wife Diana, played by British actress Claire Foy. Just as they find out they are going to have a child; Robin contracts the polio disease and becomes paralyzed from the neck down. He ended up going back to England after spending some time in Kenya because of his love for it and his devotion to the trade and sale of tea. 

He became unable to breathe without the help of a respirator, he was confined to a bed and was given a couple of months to live. At first, he could not even speak, he was so depressed that he couldn’t even see his newborn son, Jonathan, and he wanted to be put out of his misery, nevertheless, Diana does not let him and convinces him to fight. He asks her to get him out of the hospital, so she does, though the doctor did not agree, telling her that he will only last 2 weeks. 

Diana manages to take care of him at home and soon enough, he was able to travel the world and inspire others with a wheelchair, developed by him and his friend Teddy Hall, that had a built-in respirator. 

Robin Cavendish became an advocate for disabled people and one of the longest-lived responauts in Britain. He changed the way the medical industry looked at quality of life for people once presumed unable to have any.

It was produced by none other than Jonathan Cavendish, son of Robin and Diana. He said that Breathe was not just another project, it was a chance to honor his amazing parents.

Garfield’s outstanding performance is one of those that leave you speechless. He really knows how to embody a character, so it doesn’t really feel like is playing the character, he IS the character, which is one of the things that make a great actor a great actor.