After binge watching The Crown on Netflix when I had the flu in January, I was interested in seeing something else with Claire Foy.  So, last night, I watched Breathe, an inspirational film based on the life of Robin Cavendish.

After contracting polio in the 1950s at the age of 28, Cavendish (Andrew Garfield), was paralyzed from the neck down and expected to live only a few months.  He beat those odds by almost 40 years with the help of his wife, Diana (Foy). Cavendish was also instrumental in helping other severely disabled patients regain their independence, collaborating with his friend Teddy (Hugh Bonneville), an amateur inventor, to design a wheelchair with a built-in ventilator.

Although it’s been criticized as overly cheery, it was an inspirational look at the significant contributions Cavendish made for the disabled even though he really desired to die after his diagnosis. Although not a focal point, when his illness is causing severe complications that will result in death, Cavendish chooses euthanasia (with permission but against the wishes of Diana). But as the film’s producer Jonathan Cavendish (Robin and Diana’s son) notes at the film’s end, “Breathe” is a tribute to the gift of life that allowed him to know his father.