Just a Breath Away

"Don't breathe. Don't stop."

2018 1h 30m FR

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 871

DramaScience FictionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a deadly mist engulfs Paris, people find refuge in the upper floors of the buildings. With no information, no electricity and hardly any supplies, Mathieu, Anna and their daughter Sarah try to survive the disaster.

“Don't breathe. Don't stop.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Romain Duris
Mathieu
Olga Kurylenko
Anna
Fantine Harduin
Sarah
Michel Robin
Lucien
Anna Gaylor
Colette
Réphaël Ghrenassia
Noé
Erja Malatier
Charlotte
Alexis Manenti
Drunk Policeman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Daniel Roby
Writers: Mathieu Delozier, Guillaume Lemans, Jimmy Bemon
Languages: English, French
Countries: Canada, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 21% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Directed by Daniel Roby, shot by Pierre-Yves Bastard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michel Corriveau. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stan Collet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daniel Roby directs. Pierre-Yves Bastard behind the camera. Michel Corriveau scores. Stan Collet cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Canada, France. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 21% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 8 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
5International production across 2 countries: Canada, France.
6Directed by Daniel Roby, shot by Pierre-Yves Bastard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Michel Corriveau. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Stan Collet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Romain Duris and Olga Kurylenko and Fantine Harduin carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Don't breathe. Don't stop.".
11IMDB entry: tt5092380 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Pierre-Yves Bastard
Original score: Michel Corriveau
Editing: Stan Collet
Production design: Arnaud Roth
Costume design: Nathalie Benros
Makeup / hair: Françoise Quilichini
VFX supervisor: Bruno Maillard
Stunt coordinator: Philippe Guégan
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $13,749,400
Box office: $2,842,040
Return: 21% of budget
Original language: FR
IMDB: Just a Breath Away (2018)

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Daniel Roby

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-03-12
★ 7/10
This is one of those apocalyptic movies that makes you think that if this planet ever did have enough of humanity and it’s toxic ways, it could quite possibly eradicate us all without too much trouble. This time, it’s Paris that gets the end of the world treatment as a deadly mist emanates from the ground and permeates all the houses killing all it meets. Luckily, “Mathieu” (Romain Duris) and his family live in a higher-rise and so can live above the fog that has consumed all below them, but for how long? He hasn’t just himself to worry about, either, as his wife “Anna” (the very sparingly seen Olga Kurylenko) and their bubble-wrapped daughter “Sarah” (Fantine Harduin) are also there as are his parents. Gradually, the water and the power stop working and they both have to get to street level and forage for food - amidst an increasingly dog-eat-dog (or whatever they can find) environment. What chance survival when the gas starts to rise? I like Duris, I think he’s an engaging actor who usually delivers and here he takes an admittedly not very remarkable script and turns out a character that we can empathise a little with. Initially I did wonder if it wasn’t a little unfair that the posh folks in the penthouses would all be spared, then I twigged that it was their role to die slowly of starvation and/or thirst - so that was ok. It can’t have had much budget and so nobody is going mad with visual effects which I thought gave it a slightly more menacingly authentic look to it, and the scenes at the end reminded me a bit of “Titanic”. It just goes to show that Hollywood needn’t have a monopoly of existential drama, and this one is better than most, I’d say.

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