TIFF 2024: Hold Your Breath

Hold Your Breath [2024]

Film

"I don't like dust. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere."

A line that you would think was in Karrie Crouse's psychological thriller Hold Your Breath which takes place in 1930's Oklahoma where constant dust storms ravage the desolate landscape. Although the Anakin Skywalker-inspired line from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones doesn't appear in Crouse's film, the sentiment behind it permeates the rugged Oklahoman frontier.

Starring Sarah Paulson as Margaret Bellum, Hold Your Breath chronicles the psychological erosion from persistent trauma through an all gas, no brakes pace and a slightly uneven story. Yielding a heart-pounding thriller that wastes no time, spares no twist, and leaves you gasping for air until the dust finally settles.

Crouse's story is framed familiarly. A mother, in an unforgiving climate such as the Dust Bowl, must care for her two young children, Rose (Amiah Miller) and Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins), while their father is away for work. The horror of Hold Your Breath derives itself from a book Rose reads to Ollie, detailing the existence of "The Grey Man," who lurks in the very swirls of dust penetrating every crevice of their house. This sinister being can dissipate into dust, allowing his victims to breathe him in, which is how he's then able to force them to do unspeakable acts. Drawing similarities to the 2014 Australian horror film, The Babadook, Hold Your Breath also portrays manifestations of grief through children's book characters that resemble monsters. Although the film may, so far, sound like a rewrapping of sorts, Crouse can effectively craft an unrelenting atmosphere of terror that feels fresh in its own way.

The opening sequence makes that known more than anything, with Paulson's Margaret screaming for air amid a dust storm. Unrelenting gusts of dust batter her body while the howls of the Margaret and the wind alike seep into your very bones. Not only do Crouse and co-director William Joines immediately set the tone--in terms of horror--but they also let the audience in on a little secret. This is going to be a masterclass from Sarah Paulson.

Hold Your Breath [2024]

Not to be hyperbolic, but Paulson is better than ever in Hold Your Breath. It's difficult to fathom what that means without seeing the film, especially if you've seen Paulson's terrific work in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Run, Carol, and her bone-chilling supporting role in 12 Years A Slave. The balancing act Paulson effortlessly displays between grieving mother and protective matriarch, all the while descending into paranoid psychosis, is simply stunning. Paulson has always been an expressive actor, conveying so much thought and emotion through a wide range of facial expressions, and with a bar set so high, she's still able to clear it. As Crouse's fast-paced script continually picks up pace, Paulson ratchets up her performance, matching the intensity of the film's tone and her character's identity with her performance.

At times, Hold Your Breath feels too quick at a tightly wrapped 94-minute runtime. But that's more a comment on how I didn't want the movie to end. I was completely engrossed in the world Crouse created, and although I could nitpick at the story here and there, I loved its direction. Not to mention Zoë White's cinematography provides the technical depth for Crouse and Joines' desired tone, culminating in some hauntingly gorgeous scenes. The dust storms are obvious highlights, but the cool, isolated nighttime shots are full of ominous beauty that prove to be brief recesses from the intense thrills throughout. Allowing you to catch your breath before the next rapid descent into madness. Which, now that I think of it, might be the only rest you'll get, as Hold Your Breath is an immensely entertaining experience that is guided by its lightning-fast pace and white-knuckle-inducing thrills.

By the time the movie ends, you just might come to the realization that you've been holding your breath for longer than you thought possible.

Froth

Instead of resting on your laurels, taking a leisurely stroll through the Oklahoman dust-scape, you may as well enjoy yourself a little bit and dip your toes in the madness of Hold Your Breath. Sure a fine Pilsner would work, or a sweet Stout matching the darkness of Margaret Bellum's psyche, but that's all playing it a little safe, no? Since we like to live on the edge here at Film & Froth I figured why not go a little mad and enjoy a Mad Tom IPA from Muskoka Brewing. This feisty West Coast IPA has a beautiful copper, almost amber color to it, and immediately upon pouring you can smell the piney nature of it along with some strong citrus elements. It's not as heavy as you'd expect, with a 6.4% ABV and more malt than anticipated, going down smoothly and being quite refreshing. The madness comes into play with the finish however with a fairly strong bitterness resonating long after your sip. But luckily, that's not a bad thing. Plenty of citrus is present to keep you afloat, and I for one really loved the dry-hopped texture from the Chinook and Centennial hops. Providing a nicely rounded, albeit leaning more bitter, drinking experience.