The film stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hollander, Ed Speleers and Dean-Charles Chapman.

Over the strenuous objections of the hospital consultant Dr Entwistle (who tells Diana that he will die if without the ventilator for two minutes) and with the help of some of the other doctors and nurses, Robin is brought home and meets his son.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Strong performances from Breathe's well-matched leads help add an edge to a biopic that takes a decidedly heartwarming approach to its real-life story.

[19] Peter Bradshaw, also writing for The Guardian, stated that the film "highlights a vital chapter of history" for disabled people, while adding, "The problem is that there is not much light and shade in the Cavendishes themselves".

[20] The New York Times writer Jeannette Catsoulis gave a mixed review, stating that the film's true purpose "is smothered by a cloying fairy tale romance that turns every challenge the couple faces into a lark".

[21] She went on to praise the actors, but stated that they were held back by the script: "Mr. Garfield smiles broadly through episodes of near-suffocation and bloody sputum, while Ms. Foy embodies the buck-up-and-carry-on mentality that William Nicholson's screenplay demands".

[21] The Hollywood Reporter writer Stephen Dalton wrote that the film "feels more like Downton Abbey with a medical subplot than a serious biopic about an astoundingly able disabled man and his devoted wife".

[22] Of the main cast, he stated that "Breathe paints them as borderline saints, flattening their humanity and carefully glossing over potentially tricky subjects, notably sexual matters.

Tom Hollander also does double duty as Diana's twin brothers, his dual role seemingly an excuse for some creaky comic banter and slick visual effects".

[22]Toby Woollaston in The New Zealand Herald praised Serkis's directing, suggesting that "his attention to the film's technical minutia elevates it beyond a mere actorly drama".