Breath of life review

Breath of Life tells the story of Timi, a once-gifted clergyman who becomes a shadow of himself after his family is brutally murdered. The key to his redemption lies in the hands of his new mentee, Elijah. The film features a stellar cast including Chimezie Imoh, Genoveva Umeh, Wale Ojo, Eku Edewor and Ademola Adedoyin, amongst others.

Let’s talk about what I liked:

Colours

The first thing I noticed about this film was the excellent use of colour to portray the emotions of the film’s characters. Black to convey darkness, blue and white to symbolize a fresh start. For example, Timi stayed consistently in black attire from the day his family was killed until the time he met Elijah. Once he meets Elijah, the colours of his shirts started to become lighter, and so does the background. This is something only a few Nollywood filmmakers have hacked. The fantastic locations across Lagos and Ibadan, of course helped the beautiful cinematography come to life.

Story

I really enjoyed the story and the way it was told in different timelines. Elijah’s narration was really soothing and it carried the audience the whole way through. No confusion; everything flowed seamlessly.

Cast

The casting was fantastic. Chimezie Imoh was a fantastic lead. He’s such a natural and emotive actor. He personified the character of Elijah and brought it to life. The inhaler as a prop for Elijah was quite an interesting way to solidify his character as a shy, innocent young man who was about to go through a life changing ordeal.

Chimezie also had really great chemistry with his co-actors, Genoveva Umeh and Wale Ojo.

Anna’s outfits were fantastic. Her hair, makeup, earrings, her shoes, and every single piece of clothing she wore was just perfect.

Eku didn’t have many lines in the film, but her presence was notable, and we felt her absence. She’s truly an underrated actress.

Scenes

Elijah meeting Anna gave me goosebumps, especially when he humorously quoted Proverbs 31:3. His excitement around her and the way he looked at her with so much love was incredibly cute!

One of the most amazing scenes was after Elijah’s first driving lesson with Timi. They sat on the car in a field with tall grass and a tree. It was the first time Timi said “God” twice. The shots were perfectly framed, capturing the moment as Timi began to see life in a new light.

Symbolism

The tie that Timi gave Elijah, signified “I belong here”. When he left it at Anna’s place after being called a church rat, it was his way of telling himself that he deserved more, that he was meant for greater things.

Music

The music was amazing!!! So soothing. There wasn’t music in a lot of scenes but when there was, it was perfect.

Overall this film was fantastic and is one I’d watch over and over again. It is a solid 8/10 and available to watch on Amazon Prime.