Although the advent of technology has certainly made the production of documentaries easier in recent years, many of the best films within the genre are the result of miraculous coincidences. Archival footage and recreations are useful in illustratingsome noteworthy historical points, but they can often not compare to real-time footage that managed to capture an incredible event as it was unfolding. An event like the 2012 saturation diving accident was considered to be so groundbreaking that it inspiredan upcoming feature film about the real heroes. However,the documentaryLast Breathexamined a harrowing diving accident from the perspective of the men involved in the crisis.
What Is ‘Last Breath’ About?
Last Breathexplores a shocking situation in which diver Chris Lemons was dragged towards the bottom of the North Seaafter his umbilical cable was cut during a routine diving expedition. Although it was the dynamic positioning of the vessel that was blamed for the technological failure, Lemons was given only five minutes of breathable air in his tank, and assumed to be dead due to the low chance of survival. However, fellow diversDuncan AllcockandDavid Yuasa, who accompanied him on the mission, refused to give up on him if there was an even remote chance that he could still be alive. After discovering that Lemons’ mask had filtered a gas mix that included only a partial mix of oxygen, Allcock and Yuasa realized that their friend was still alive, and were able to bring him to the surface in a death-defying rescue. Given that these men were in the middle of the ocean with minimal contact with outside support,the heroism of their ordealwas even more remarkable.
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Last Breathfeatures recorded video and audio from the actual rescue mission, as well as subsequent interviews conducted with the men involved in the operation. Although the footage of the actual disaster may have initially been difficult to discern for someone not well-versed in deep sea technology, the interviews with Allcock and Yuasa are able to explain what went wrong in an understandable way, and make the resulting missionfeel more harrowing and intense.DirectorsRichard da CostaandAlex Parkinsonalso made the interesting decision to not feature any interviews with Lemons until the very end of the film; this allowed for a genuine perception of suspense, as it is unclear to an uninformed audience member whether or not he actually survived.
‘Last Breath’ Is a Remarkably Intimate Documentary
Last Breathis able to explore the mindsets of these divers, as it could seem strange that they would be willing to risk their lives for their work on such a regular basis. There is a remarkable amount of footage captured from before the crash that includes the divers simply interacting with one another, which does a great deal to explain why friendship was so important to them. In addition to generating an emotional connection with Lemons before he is placed in danger, these scenes help to explain how out-of-the-ordinary any sort of “incident” would be on this operation, as the crew has followed orders exactly as written. Although there are some suggestions that malfunctioning technology from an incompetent supplier may have partially been to blame for the occurrence,Last Breathis more interested in celebrating the triumph of the human spirit thanadvancing any anti-capitalistic goals.
Last Breathis a surprisingly emotional documentarythat shows how deep the friendship is between these men, and how it extends far beyond their employment. Given that they had to be in each other’s close quarters for an extended amount of time, there was a natural friendliness that emerged; it’s also understandable that, considering they all chose a relatively niche route of employment, there were many things that they had in common. The moments that include interviews with each diver’s spouse, showing how they reacted to the crisis, speak to the fact that theyall felt like a giant familythat supported one another.Last Breathmay be focused on a dangerous craft that many would find difficult to relate to, but the theme of supporting loved ones in dangerous times is one that is accessible to any audience member.
Last Breath
