LUXEMBURG, BELGIUM
2024 – DCP – color – 101’

Direction: Eric Lamhène

Screenplay: Lee Rae Lyn, Eric Lamhène

Cinematography: Lee Rae Lyn

Editing: Jean-Luc Simon

Set design: Julieta Fernandez

Sound: Alain Goniva

Costumes: Magdalena Labuz

Cast: Carla Juri (Emma), Véronique Tshanda Beya (Khadij), Esperanza Martin González-Quevedo (Esperanza), Alessia Raschella (Sascha), Sascha Ley (Tania)

Producer: Claude Waringo in coproduzione con in co-production with Patrick Quinet, in associazione con in association with Jani Thiltges, Bernard Michaux

Production: Samsa Film in coproduzione con in co-production with Artémis Productions

World Sales: Pluto Film

Synopsis

Breathing Underwater tells the story of Emma, who is whisked away in the dead of night, covered in bruises and unexpectedly pregnant. As she grapples with her pregnancy and her emotional shackles to her husband Marc, Emma rediscovers lost facets of herself through her unlikely camaraderie and strife with the women and children of the shelter.
Individual traumas intertwine and despite their differences, a delicate sisterhood emerges as they push one another to fight for their self-worth and independence.

The director: ERIC LAMHÈNE

Eric Lamhène is a writer/director based in Luxembourg. He earned his Master of Arts with distinction at the London Film School in 2010. He has since written and directed several short films as well as various episodes of the television series Comeback and the documentary series Routwäissgro for RTL television. He is a writer on the Netflix crime series Capitani. His fiction films and documentaries decidedly revolve around social topics and, as a director, he is drawn to the raw energy of non-actors in main roles. He has recently finished his debut feature film Breathing Underwater and is the creator of an upcoming neo-noir limited fiction series The Darkness, which is in it s writing /development stage.

Director’s statement

“The screenplay was shaped by an amalgamation of the women’s stories, which became the backstories of the characters in the film. Our mission to be emotionally true. We knew early on that we absolutely wanted Breathing Underwater to be rooted as much as possible in true experiences and emotions, so the cast would ultimately be a mix of professional and non-professional actors.
Rae Lyn Lee and I collaborated closely throughout with the entire film team to create a visual aesthetic that we candidly describe as “the light in absolute spite of the darkness”. Breathing Underwater is a film of dualities. There is suffering, pain and violence, but there is also strength, joy and hope. It is above all, a hopeful film. The journey of Emma, Khadij, Sascha and Esperanza represents merely the first few hundred meters of the marathon women in situations of domestic abuse have to run towards rebuilding their lives. We hope that this film will touch hearts, change lives and engage audiences in an open dialogue and debate.”

Filmography

2010 Lauschter (short)
2012 Flou (short)
2012 Comeback (tv series)
2014 Serena (short)
2015 Routwäissgro (doc series)
2016 Hotel Budapest (short)
2024 Hors d’Haleine (Breathing Underwater)

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