Lou de Laage excels as Sarah, the new kid in town in Breathe, the impressive, confident first feature directed by French actress Melanie Laurent (Inglorous Basterds, Beginners, Enemy). The story of an opposites-attract teenage friendship between Sarah and Charlie (Josephine Japy) that gradually turns abusive never feels fake. As secrets about Sarah are gradually revealed, it prompts her to recoil at Charlie in sickly inventive ways. Charlie then undergoes a noticeable change in her appearance and mannerisms. The push-pull manipulation of the weaker, more docile Charlie by the headstrong, unsympathetic Sarah would be a bit much for any kid in the normal range of self-esteem. With fragile flower Charlie, it looks more and more like something out of the ordinary is going to happen….
(3.5 out of 5 stars)