
Just a Breath Away
2018

Representation Score
Excellent
2017
Not RatedDirector
Nathaniel Atcheson
Runtime
97 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetNew Showbiz Analysis
The film disrupts standard post-apocalyptic clichés by focusing on intimate, networked human interaction instead of geopolitical warfare. It emphasizes a decentralized social structure, moving away from traditionalist hierarchies. The film's strength lies in its existential critique of systemic fragility. By centering a female protagonist and a diverse group of survivors, it avoids many common masculine-led survivalist clichés. However, the film lacks explicit confirmation of specific identity markers, such as queer identities or physical disabilities. The focus remains primarily on systemic and existential themes rather than detailed identity politics.
Category Breakdown
The film explores non-traditional social bonds through a networked video interface. Survivors form a 'motley family' based on survival rather than biological ties, though specific queer identities are not explicitly confirmed.
Phoenix serves as the central protagonist, offering a female-led perspective on survival. The inclusion of Nadine, a female scientist, shifts the expert archetype away from traditional male-dominated hierarchies.
The concept of a 'motley family' suggests a diverse, cosmopolitan demographic. Using city names like Atlanta and Chicago for characters implies a non-homogeneous group that avoids typical homogeneous survivalist clichés.
The narrative critiques centralized control and Western institutions through the collapse of global civilization. It prioritizes secularism and situational ethics over traditional state or religious structures during the crisis.
The film focuses on the psychological toll of extreme isolation and confinement. However, it remains unclear if mental health challenges are portrayed with character's ability to drive the story or used as thriller plot devices.
Present on Screen
Limited or Absent
Official Synopsis
After a deadly virus wipes out most of humanity, the survivors are forced to wait alone in self-sustaining bunkers while the viral threat runs its course. Able to communicate through a networked video interface, the survivors wait for years and slowly become a motley family of sorts. But their fragile social ecosystem is shattered when, one by one, they start mysteriously disappearing from their bunkers.

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