Record-setting Italian free diver Alessia Zecchini and her close friend, revered Irish safety diver Stephen Keenan, get the spotlight in the first trailer for Netflix’s new documentary feature, “The Deepest Breath.” The movie opens in select theaters July 14 and hits the streamer on July 19.
Per the official synopsis from Netflix: “Champion free diver Alessia Zecchini fell in love with the sport as a child growing up in Italy, astounding coaches with her raw talent and determination in pool swims and open water contests before she was even old enough to legally compete. Irish adventurer turned expert safety diver Stephen Keenan, meanwhile, was raised near the sea, but as a young man he set out on a quest to find himself, traveling across Africa before landing in Dahab, Egypt, and establishing a dive school. Despite their very different paths, the two would meet at the pinnacle of the competitive free diving world, discovering a shared passion for pushing their limits and forming a powerful relationship that felt like fate.
“From director Laura McGann, this thrilling documentary takes a look inside one of the most dangerous sports in the world, using everything from raw underwater dive footage to childhood home movies to chronicle Zecchini and Keenan’s lives and careers,” the synopsis continues. “The bond between them propels the film’s emotional journey into the stunning, silent depths of the ocean, a breathtaking place unseen by all but the fortunate few — where exhilarating accomplishments and unavoidable risks await.”
McGann directs the feature film, which is produced by John Battsek, Sarah Thomson, Jamie D’Alton and Anne McLoughlin. Executive producers Bart Layton, Ben Cotner and Emily Osborne are also attached. Robert Ford is coproducer.
In TheWrap’s review of the doc out of Sundance, Simon Abrams wrote: “Zecchini and Keenan’s experiences tend to be defined by the high risks that they took whenever they plunged underwater to depths of 100+ meters. Zecchini isn’t even featured in on-camera interviews until it’s clear that she survived while Keenan did not, a narrative contrivance that says more about the makers of ‘The Deepest Breath’ than it does their subjects.”
