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Too often, Hollywood rips a news event from the headlines and attempts to add schmaltz, melodrama, and superficiality to transform it into a straightforward story that offers little surprise to an audience. While the notion that something is “based on a true story” used to have some degree of meaning, the phrase has lost all value given how inauthentic many of these quasi-biopics feel. A lack of realism is certainly not something that the survival thriller “Last Breath” (2025) can be accused of. The film was directed by Alex Parkinson, who previously helmed a documentary feature of the same name that centered on the same subject.
The story of “Last Breath” defied science and logic, as it would have easily been deemed to be an implausible narrative had it been presented as a work of fiction. In 2012, the deep sea diver Chris Lemons was dragged to the bottom of the sea after his umbilical cable snapped whilst performing a saturation diving accident. Given that Lemons was given only a limited amount of breathable oxygen and was knocked unconscious, his fellow divers Duncan Allcock and David Yuasa assumed that they would be performing a body recovery operation. Miraculously, Lemons managed to survive the ordeal. While the mix of cold water in a highly pressurized suit may have strung out his breathable oxygen, Lemons’ longevity was broadly considered to be a miracle.
Like any adaptations of hit documentaries, “Last Breath” faced the existential question of what it could add to a story that was already completed. While the two films are virtually identical in terms of structure (and even include some of the same archive footage and footnotes), the feature film succeeds in adding a greater depth to the tactility of the incident. The documentary was remarkable because of the shocking degree of footage that was captured, but the film is able to provide greater context on the various factors that made this accident simultaneously inspiring and terrifying.
Parkinson is evidently a first-time narrative feature filmmaker, and recent examples have proven that the transition from documentary storytelling is not always a fluid one. While acclaimed nonfiction filmmaker RaMell Ross was able to play with the narrative form in his adaptation of “Nickel Boys,” the award-winning documentary director Joshua Oppenheimer crafted a dull, lifeless fiction vehicle with his apocalyptic musical “The End.” Thankfully, Parkinson clearly understands the skills that he already has, as a vast majority of the film takes place within the confines of the vessel. Although there are a few brief flashbacks that provide the most basic emotional context, “Last Breath” succeeds in exposing the viewers to the same claustrophobic, unpredictable circumstances that the protagonists face.
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Tasked with bringing the role of Lemons to life is Finn Cole, a veteran television actor whose breakout performance in the crime series “Peaky Blinders” suggested he had big things ahead of him. Cole is tasked with by far the most difficult role in the film, as he has to play a victimized character that still retains a sense of individuality and warrants the attention that is paid to him. Cole has an effortless charm to him that makes his early scenes quite endearing, but he also draws out a quiet sense of resolve that differentiates Lemons from the other divers who have pursued this line of work. Although this type of dangerous activity is not one for the faint of heart, Lemons’ uncompromising professionalism and consistent optimism indicate that he truly feels a sense of kinship with his co-workers.
In the role of the veteran diver Allcock is Woody Harrelson, who despite being one of the greatest character actors of his generation, can easily slip into the comfortable role of an unassuming leading man. One of the major narrative threads in the feature of “Last Breath” that was absent from the documentary is the notion that Allcock is preparing to make his final voyage, and has grown to miss the lifestyle that he has dedicated so much effort to. Although the film does touch on Allcock’s determination to not upset his legacy with a tragic mission, his intentions are always quite pure. Allcock takes on the role of voicing support for Lemons and begins to recognize that his death would be cruelly ironic given the vast differences in their level of experience.
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Harrelson is perfectly equipped for playing the subdued, internalized emotions of a grizzled character, but what is most noteworthy is that “Last Breath” does not feel the need to add another voice that is intended to be more openly emotive. Yuasa was perhaps more deadset and straightforward than Allcock, and Simu Liu is able to capture the crisis of confidence that thwarts a man who has deprived himself of emotion. There is nothing performative about the way that Yuasa conducts himself, as he truly seems to believe that his mission will only be successful if he leaves his attachments on the surface. The film makes the bold choice to not show any cracks in this facade, save for one key emotional revelation in the third act that features some impressively altered acting on Liu’s part.
Not every aspect of “Last Breath” has this degree of specificity. The time spent examining the crew of the surface vessel, which was largely absent from the documentary, doesn’t really get in-depth into any of the supporting characters. Although it’s interesting to see the various decisions that need to be made from a leadership position, the lack of disagreement on the direction that should have been taken results in very little dramatic tension. However, scenes that bookend the film featuring Lemons and his fiancee (a strong performance by Bobby Rainsbury) add a suitable degree of emotion without being saccharine.
“Last Breath” contains enough detail to engage those interested in the technical miracles of the incident, but its greatest achievement is showing the triumph of the human spirit. There is nothing inherently extraordinary about these characters, and the film revels in the fact that it was their professionalism and shared respect for one another that deprived headlines of an international tragedy. “Last Breath” is perhaps most impressive in what it doesn’t do; there’s a flowery, more grandiose version of the same story that could have existed, but Parkinson instead opts to approach this remarkable story with both empathy and pragmatism.
