^{By: Amanda Guarragi}

Every Last Breath, written and directed by Leonardo Gomez, begins with a heartbeat and an exhale. The lore of the Greek personification of death Thanatos is instantly presented through different senses. He would appear to humans to carry them off to the underworld when the time allotted to them by the Fates had expired. 

Gomez integrated the mythology and modernized the interpretation of Thanatos. The quote at the beginning expresses humanity’s constant battle with morality and how we conceptualize death. There’s a sense of unity that comes with death. We all may live separate lives and have differences in ideology or culture, but one thing unifies humans from all walks of life, and it’s their last breath.  

The film opens on a white house with a red door, almost symbolizing “death’s door.” The boldness of the red catches you off guard and is the focal point. When we meet Penelope (Mina Izaie), she is in the bathroom coughing into a tissue, only for her struggles to be left ambiguous about her struggles. The subtlety of Gomez’s direction and the simple story carry intrigue as Thanatos (Ryan Thomas) enters the frame knocking on the red door shortly after. Director of Photography Kira Brown frames her subjects beautifully and uses lighting to reflect who Thanatos is. The transcript at the beginning gives the implication and the sound design effectively sets the tone without exposition-heavy dialogue. 

The goddess and personification of eternal youth in Greek mythology is Hebe (Chloe Chamberlain), who views mortals as an annoyance. She questions Thanatos and his perspective of humans as he searches for something. Perhaps a feeling that he doesn’t quite understand as an immortal being. It’s the age-old question, “If you could live forever, would you?”

There’s one conversation between Thanatos and Hebe that grounds Thanatos in the world of mortals. He tells Penelope that he helps ailing people in their time of need so he sees the most devastating final moments before their crossover. But, there is so much joy that comes before that Thanatos is curious about. Chamberlain and Thomas worked well together and gave a fresh portrayal of these characters. 

Every Last Breath has visceral storytelling that elevates the concept. Under the meticulous eye of Producer Ryan Wardak, everything worked cohesively and everyone delivered a thought-provoking film with depth. From the simplicity of the production design by Sage Hammer to the expert hand in editing by Gomez and the melancholic score by Hans Taagen, this film showcases everyone’s talents in their designated roles. It’s inspiring to see a short student film, so layered with complex characters questioning mortality and attempting to understand the meaning of life. There’s beauty in mortality and this had a unique perspective of immortal gods questioning the length of their lives and purpose.