Breath

Baker keenly captures the beckoning magnetism of active waters, not to mention the searching souls - young and experienced - who gravitate toward its dangers.

In spite of his low-key ambitions, debut filmmaker Simon Baker doesn't yet have the eloquence as a director to get you on board.

Star Simon Baker, in a solid directing debut, blends surfing and coming-of-age elements into film of moments that don't always tie together. But when they do - oh, how they soar.

Breath is a wistful and wounded coming-of-age story about surfing, surrender, and the sordid experience of losing your virginity to a married older woman who's got a thing for erotic asphyxiation.

I found Breath too long to sit through without dozing, which may be a good thing since it is a film with an inestimably slow tempo, offering numerous opportunities for naps.

Mr. Baker does nice work with the actors - his open-faced young leads are sincere, appealing, believable - and there's a lot to like about "Breath," including its attention to natural beauty and to how surfing can become a bridge to that splendor.

Inappropriate relationships...leave a discomfort to almost overwhelm the convincing portrayal of male adolescent bonhomie, the gorgeous scenery, and fantastic surfing scenes.

This tender and evocative Australian coming-of-age drama is specific in its setting but universal in its themes.

There is a moment in the third act where Eva calls Sando's old wise man shtick "guru shit", and it would be amusingly self-observant if the screenplay wasn't fully committed to embracing two hours' worth of that very new-age nonsense.

As odd as it may initially seem, The Endless Summer becomes Summer of '42, and Breath reveals itself to be the coming-of-age story it's been all along.

Grey might come in 50 shades (or so we're told), but there are just as many hues of blue in Simon Baker's first film as a director, most of them found in Western Australia's stunning waters.

Visually appealing, but disjointed and largely unsatisfying.