A vision wholly unrealised is the biggest downfall against Hold Your Breath.
With its gothic horror temperament, dustbowl 1930s Oklahoma landscape and an emotionally anchored performance from Sarah Paulson at its core, Karrie Crouse and Will Joines‘ isolating, atmospheric thriller has the potential, but unfortunately not the power needed to convey its core themes.
The punishing winds that swirl around the narrative of Crouse’s script do more than just destroy the neighbouring farmlands, but the well-being of those communities caught in them too, and someone who is navigating such drubbing is Margaret Bellum (Paulson), a mother who is convinced that a mysterious presence in the dust storms is threatening her family. Crouse creates such folklore as The Grey Man as a type of metaphor for grief, something that Margaret is suffering from immeasurably. With her husband out of town (or is he?) and still reeling from the loss of her youngest child, Margaret has a sense of determination about her regarding the existence of her surviving children, daughters Rose (Amiah Miller) and Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins).
The tale of The Grey Man is one that Rose recites to Ollie, and we learn through such readings that this ominous figure is a spirit carried through the violent winds like dust; breathe it in, and you will commit terrible acts. Margaret doesn’t take kindly to Rose telling such stories, but even as she’s quick to dismiss them, the legend becomes difficult to ignore when signals of distress start bellowing through the town; the arrival of Ebon Moss-Bachrach‘s peculiar Wallace Grady, a supposed drifter, only exacerbating the terror, though Crouse’s script never allows him the impact he deserves.
Again, that’s what undoes so much of Hold Your Breath, that it never allows itself to ruminate with its ingredients long enough for them to land the impact intended. The opening frame of Margaret screaming out for her children in the eye of a dust storm holds a certain weight, but as the film progresses (it thankfully only runs at a brisk 94 minutes) it quickly gives way to an on-the-nose temperament that undoes any of the metaphorical tension suggested. Jump scares and unsubtle music score are similarly favoured over anything organically unsettling, and with the narrative’s cycle-rinse-repeat nature, it ultimately amounts to a story that gets swept away in its own whirlwind of ambivalence.
Disappointing it may be, Hold Your Breath isn’t an absolute waste, with Paulson once again reminding us of her undeniable star quality. She absolutely carries the film with a strength and emotional resonance that it doesn’t return in her favour. There’s interesting notes on the subject of trauma and how it can be carried (or avoided) by future generations, and it’s undeniably a visually riveting film, but those nuggets of promise, along with Paulson’s aforementioned commitment, only highlight the ultimate mediocrity this film adheres to.
TWO AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Hold Your Breath screened as part of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which ran between September 5th and 15th, 2024. For more information about the festival, head to the official site here.
Hold Your Breath will be streaming on Disney+ in Australia and on Hulu in the United States from October 3rd, 2024.
