BREATH OF LIFE Film Review — Art in Every Frame

Above the dark outline of a mountain, cotton candy pink and deep blue fill the night sky in a galaxy of stars. The camera pans to a relieved Mila and Varlahm, who had just reunited after being torn apart. With wonder in her eyes, Mila holds her hand out to a pegasus with outstretched wings, outlined in a hazy pink light. Varlahm explains that a pegasus can travel to different worlds, and Mila gasps in awe, as if her magic-filled world isn’t already astonishing.

Breath of Life, a 2-D animation by husband-and-wife team, Anna Gerasimova and Arthur Herring, tells a story of power, magic, and love in a fantasy world. Mila, harboring secrets from her father about a strange artifact named the Wheel of Life, meets Varlahm, with secrets of his own. Desperate to receive answers to their questions, they work together and form an inseparable bond. As they travel their world, they fall into carefully crafted traps, untangle mysteries, and meet a cast of complex characters designed with expert hands.

BREATH OF LIFE Tells a Visual Tale

Outlining Mila and Varlahm’s quest are visually compelling animations with clear detail and subtle movement. We feel as if we are physically in their world. When Varlahm introduces Mila to his home nation of the Magi of Natural Forces, we expect to see harsh ice and snow in this bitterly cold nation, but the landscape reflects pastel purple, pink, and blue and creates a dreamlike atmosphere. Mila and Varlahm’s breath swirls in front of them like smoke and drifts away. Floating behind them are white, almost transparent clouds which enhance this dreamlike state. Although this animation and design seems simple at first glance, you may feel, like this reviewer, that a team of animators created this film, rather than two people.

Nominate this for The Picture This Post BEST OF 2021???
Click Readers' Choice

CAST:

Adam Behr
Dimitry Rozental
Noah Logan
Alexandra Green
Josh Merrell
Zoe Zhao
Anna Gerasimova
Arthur Herring

CREATIVE TEAM:

Story, Character Art, Animation, and Music: Anna Gerasimova
Environmental Art, Animation, and Sound Effects: Arthur Herring

To watch the film, visit the Breath of Life page on YouTube.

Visit the Breath of Life website for more information.

Images courtesy of Anna Gerasimova