Don’t Breathe – Doc/Fest 2015 Review

The line between fact and fiction gets seriously blurry in this bizarre, Georgian documentary about a middle-aged man’s search for medical attention.

As Levan sits through meeting after meeting with doctors giving alarming and wildly contradictory advice, even strangers in cafes offering tips on homemade remedies, it’s easy to see how anyone could become a hypochondriac.

Unfortunately, the tone is completely inconsistent, oscillating between soap opera levels of melodrama, Kafka-esque farce, dour realism and even outright slapstick. Bizarre, unexplained sequences like the cobbler who lives in the garden shed only serve to underline the film’s artificial tone.

If Dostoevsky had ever collaborated with the Coen Brothers, the result might look a bit like Don’t Breathe. It’s appealingly strange, but feels out of place at a “documentary” festival.

RATING: 3/5

INFORMATION

DIRECTOR: Nino Kirtadze

SYNOPSIS:  Acclaimed filmmaker Nino Kirtadze has crafted a speculative documentary that strikes a fine balance between drama and comedy, farce and social commentary.

Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015 runs from June 5th-10th. Tickets are still available, and One Room With A View’s coverage will continue throughout the festival.