Breathe is not a great short film in so much as 'film' implies something bigger than one scene. However as a scene it is particularly effective as it has one goal, and it knows how best to deliver that goal. The aim of the film is to be chilling, and it does do this well as a woman wakes up at night with a noise somewhere in the house. Essentially she looks around with her torch, while the camera keeps everything close so that we too have limited vision even though for us it is not so dark. This use of framing and music to create a tension may not be innovative but it is certainly effective and for the few minutes it occurs it does draw you in.
The title and the reveal at the end is one in the same, as we hear breathing and, like the woman, gradually realize that the breathing we hear is much heavier and faster than the rise/fall of the man's chest – and of course if it is not his, then there must be someone else. At this point there is a brief jump scare and the film ends with its job done. So it may be very simple and short, but it is effective in what it wants to do.
The title and the reveal at the end is one in the same, as we hear breathing and, like the woman, gradually realize that the breathing we hear is much heavier and faster than the rise/fall of the man's chest – and of course if it is not his, then there must be someone else. At this point there is a brief jump scare and the film ends with its job done. So it may be very simple and short, but it is effective in what it wants to do.
