Summer is usually the perfect season to get outside and enjoy all the wonderful things mother nature has to offer. Whether the activity is hiking, camping, a refreshing trip to the beach, or a more secluded lakeside retreat, summer is often synonymous with exploring the great outdoors. Still, some people choose to avoid the outdoors shenanigans altogether. After watching Netflix’s new survival drama Keep Breathing, there might be a few more. Be warned, this show is not for the 'glampers' out there. For those people with a fear of getting lost in the woods, camping, or surviving in nature, steer clear away from the limited series featuring Melissa Barrera dropping on July 27th. The show centers around a New York attorney named Liv (Barrera) who, after a serious plane crash, gets stranded in the wilderness.
The series takes a different angle from survival dramas like Lost, or more recent shows like Yellowjackets and The Wilds. While these shows focus on a more ensemble-based cast with divided factions, interpersonal conflicts, and increasingly less grounding in reality, Keep Breathing is more aligned with movies like Into the Wild. It focuses more on the individual physical and psychological battle that Liv must wage, and stays relatively grounded in a more gritty, real-world-based portrayal of surviving in the wilderness.
Watch the Keep Breathing Trailer
Netflix released the trailer for Keep Breathing in late June 2022. The trailer begins with an aerial shot of a private plane flying over the wilderness. Liv is asleep on the plane, and it is followed up by quick clips of her past and subconscious. We are snapped back into the present as the plane’s warning sirens are blaring. Liv and the crew are forced into an unexpected emergency crash-landing into a lake.
The trailer is flashback-heavy, with scenes from Liv’s past and present cutting into each other. This mimics the frenzied state that Liv would be in post-crash. It also illustrates how her battle is two-fold, both physical and psychological. Not only does she have to survive out in the wilderness, but she has to confront some of her personal traumas and demons to maintain her mental and emotional fortitude. The trailer ends with a voiceover by Liv’s mother: "Do you know why there are stars in the sky Liv?" "Why?" Liv asks. "So we can always find our way back home," her mother responds. In this, there is a glimmer of hope. This does not seem like a defeatist narrative, but rather one about overcoming personal trauma and obstacles that are both physical and mental.
Many of the scenes in the present showcase Liv’s interactions with the wilderness that she’s been thrown into. It is a lush, green landscape of placid lakes and mountainous ranges covered in evergreens. It is a beautiful setting, one that undoubtedly portrays the wilderness as an integral element of the storytelling. Its vastness puts the scale of Liv’s battle into perspective, as she comes off as one minuscule organism within an ecosystem of almost unimaginable scope.
When is the Release Date of Keep Breathing?
Keep Breathing will consist of six episodes, and will premiere on Netflix on July 28th, 2022. All episodes will be available for streaming.
Who are the Cast/Confirmed Characters of Keep Breathing?
The cast list of Keep Breathing is not a long one. The mostly isolated nature of the events throughout the season might be a reason for this. Melissa Barrera stars in the series, and her acting anchors much of the plot. She seems up for the task and has experience in similarly physically-demanding roles. Barrera plays Liv, a razor-sharp attorney who crashes in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. Barrera may best be known for her starring role as Vanessa in the film adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical drama In the Heights. She also starred as Sam Carpenter in the 2022 Scream sequel and will reprise the role in Scream 6. Both roles required extensive physical training, although not to the same extent as her role as Liv.
One thing that stands out about Barrera’s preparation for the series is her commitment to becoming physically prepared for the role. The actor got scuba certified and learned to be on wires for stunts. Barrera admits that "This show was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life." And hearing some details about filming, who could blame her? To bring in the realism Barrera filmed for 12-14 hours every day making her way through the wilderness. "Those moments are super real because they [crew] let me experience and do what I felt the character would do in that moment," she revealed. Barrera spoke with Entertainment Weekly about her character:
"I love seeing strong women portrayed on screen and at the epicenter of the story, but I also love that she is so broken. She's feeling very lost and is seeking answers because she's at a crossroads in her life."
Although she admitted that the shoots were exhausting, Barrera's hard work should hopefully be paid off in a believable and gripping performance.
Other cast members include Jeff Wilbusch (Unorthodox) as Danny, Liv's on-again, off-again love interest, Florencia Lozano (One Life to Live) as Liv's mother, Juan Pablo Espinosa (La Fan) as Liv's father, and Austin Stowell (Dolphin Tale) as the co-pilot of the crashed plane.
What is the Background of Keep Breathing?
In February 2021, the series was given a series order under the title Breathe. It was created, written, and executive produced by Martin Gero and Brendan Gall. Gero and Gall had previously worked on the television thriller series Blindspot together. Warner Bros. Television Studios is behind the production, and Maggie Kiley (Dr. Death) serves as executive producer and director of the first three episodes. Rebecca Rodriguez serves as the director for episodes 4-6. Filming began in Vancouver in June 2021 and wrapped later that September. The series was retitled Keep Breathing in June 2022.
What Is the Plot of Keep Breathing?
Check out the official Netflix synopsis below:
After her private plane crashes in the remote Canadian frontier, lone survivor and New York lawyer, Liv must battle both an unforgiving wilderness and past personal traumas to stay alive.