Hold Your Breath – TIFF 2024
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September 5 to September 15, 2024
Content Advisory: Death/harm to Child, Self-injurious behavior
PROGRAMME
TIFF Special Presentations
A mother in the Dust Bowl era of 1933 Oklaholma comes to believe a spirit from a ghost story is tormenting her family in Hold Your Breath. Margaret Bellum (Sarah Paulson) is left having to care for her daughters Rose (Amiah Miller) and Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins) in their isolated farm plauged by sandstorms, while Margaret’s husband is away working. Ollie becomes scared when Rose tells his a ghost story about “The Grey Man,” which hides in the dust. However, soon events begin to happen, which suggests to Margaret that The Grey Man is more than just a story.
Hold Your Breath Synopsis
Hold Your Breath is a supernatural horror film set in the 1930s Dust Bowl era, directed by Karrie Crouse and Will Joines. This is a tumultuous time for the protagonist Margaret, played by Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story, 12 Years a Slave, Glass), who has already lost one of her daughters and is concerned about the well-being of the sons of her sister Esther (Annaleigh Ashford). While waiting for cash from her husband so she can move the family to be with him, Margaret finds the drifting preacher Wallace Grady (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) hiding in her barn, who claims to have the power to heal.
My Thoughts on Hold Your Breath
Hold Your Breath is a relatively well-made film from first-time directors Karrie Crouse and Will Joines. However, when it comes to the horror of the film, which is evocative of both The Others and The Babadook, I didn’t find Hold Your Breath to be that particuarly scary. That said, the film still still has a solid lead performance by Sarah Paulson, whose performance as Margaret progresses from level-headed to paranoid over the course of the running time.
Trailer for Hold Your Breath – TIFF 2024
