Last Breath (12A)

Alex Parkinson's time-ticking thriller plunges into the high-risk world of saturation divers maintaining vital gas pipelines on the ocean floor.

A gripping adaptation of Parkinson’s 2019 documentary, the film follows three divers: Chris (Finn Cole), mentor Duncan (Woody Harrelson) and veteran Dave (Simu Liu). When a critical malfunction traps Chris underwater with less than 10 minutes of oxygen, the crew scrambles to rescue him, or face the grim reality of recovering his body.

Doc-style camerawork and video-link camera footage provide cuts between the the diving bell, the ship’s bridge and the coastline as the crew race against the oxygen countdown clock. Enhanced by superb cinematography, shifting between situational cameras and filmic ones, the claustrophobic, stormy settings and eerie ocean depths create a vortex of tension. Performances are understated yet powerful, with Harrelson and Liu driving the urgency, while Cole’s portrayal of Chris adds emotional weight. Nerve-rattling decisions, moments of heroism and offhanded humour all help us identify with normal people whose daily experiences are something we can barely imagine.

Riveting, seamless and at points genuinely shocking, Last Breath is a terrifyingly well-constructed adaptation of a nightmarish accident.