Full disclosure, I am the Director of Photography for this film. My company also graded it, conformed it (with all its crazy formats), did some VFX, and finished it. As filmmakers, we sometimes spend tremendous amounts of time on indie projects like this, ending with much left to be desired. However, that wasn't the case with Breathing Happy. So, I wanted to shed some light on why I find this one of the most exceptional films I've been privileged enough to be a part of.
While the script seemed very ambitious for the amount of time we had to shoot as is pretty much always the case (just 15 days), it became apparent to me on day 1 that Shane would turn this into something marvelous. We shot the scene with the veterinarian, who happens to be Shane's brother, a non-actor. The performance Shane was able to drive out of him and the dog no less, while giving it all himself, solidified that I was working with a gifted filmmaker with all sorts of tricks up his sleeve.
The second week of filming saw the likes of young actors Owen Atlas, Evee White, and Mia Castillo as well as older versions of siblings and family members Brittaney Escalante, Augie Duke, Katelyn Nacon, June Carryl, and John D'Aquino. Their performances were all an inspiration to my work and I would walk away from the set each day knowing that this film was going to be special. Everyone rose above "A game", including the crew who are all my close friends, in an effort to craft a piece of magic that only forms when you truly love what you are doing and the people you are creating with.
With all of those perfect cards, Shane took the traditional, weighty, moody, and often stuffy addiction drama and transformed it, through some of the best indie film editing I've ever seen, into an fascinating tale of temptation, loss, loneliness and the hope for redemption. Hitting you from all angles, bringing you the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, and even switching the narrative format on its side from time to time. Breathing Happy is a true testament to Shane's mastery of sleight-of-hand in that it is both a harrowing and charming story that excels in making you feel a gamut of emotions, very deeply, through every fibre of your being.
