Breathing Happy

I got the great pleasure of seeing this movie at FILMQUEST this year and was very impressed. Sure, it's not a big budget film by any means, but that didn't effect my enjoyment at all. The performances are all top top notch, the direction is fantastic, the shot choices are great, the editing is really strong. It's tremendously funny and touching and sad and challenging all at the same time. It goes to show how a creative storyteller can put something special together with heart and leave a lasting impression. Can't wait to see what Shane and company do next!

Now I need to write more to make my review long enough. :)

I saw this at FilmQuest 2022 it was hands down my personal favorite film of the fest. It's heartbreaking, but heartwarming, it's weird, but so simple, it's a little scary, but also so so funny. Great cinema doesn't need a huge budget and a huge cast -- just a great script, great acting and some filmmaking magic. Highly recommend this one!

The film deals with addiction and family and how those two intersect and bump into each other so often, and yes those topics and intersections can sometimes be triggering, but this film has a lot of honesty wrapped in some absurd and hilarious mind-warps and you are gonna love the film, and never look at the doors in your house the same way again!

I've read that this is a movie whose main demographic should be addicts and recovering addicts... and while this film may offer unique insight for those groups, I am in neither, and thought this was brilliant and groundbreaking. It is a mindbending look inside the brain and life of a recovering addict as he nears a sobriety milestone, and it is filled with humanity, regret, familial crises, and sadness... yet at the same time shows a world of hope, a sense of humor, and a dogged determination to beat addiction.

Wildly creative, frenetically paced, and vibrantly shot, it is filled with sharp dialogue, hallucinations, magic, and trauma, and probably paints a realistic picture of the struggle for sobriety in the face of immense personal tragedy. I thought it was terrific. Huge props to Shane Brady for writing, directing, editing, and starring in this unique and fascinating film.

I haven't seen a movie move me in quite a while- Having a family member struggle with addiction- it hit home.

The entire cast was great! It was genuinely portrayed and raw.

Dylan Bradley- (Shane Brady)I loathed you, then felt sorry for you, I cried for and with you. You made me understand some of an addicts pain.

Briana Bradley- (Brittney Escalante) sister you hit a homerun with your portrayal in your sister/addict relationship and daughter/family relationship. You were authentic and spectacular-

Again the cast was great- everyone was genuine in their rolls.

I didn't expect to cry- yet I did. I'll watch again, this time with Kleenex in tow.

Many of the other reviews seem to focus on the plot of the movie, this review will mostly avoid that. To quickly sum the movie up it's about a guys struggle to stay sober for a year. All of that is well and good but they way the writers portray his saga could give you a headache. Most of the movie is spent jumping around time periods. At one moment it's the present and the next the past to the point that movie feels like it's battling HDHD. In addition the movie employs heavy use of metaphors to illustrate the main characters struggles. However it comes across as a poor attempt at trying to convey the depth of thought someone like Carl Jung or J krishnamerti might. A major drawback is the main actors representation of a person battling with sobriety, it's flat out not believable.