Netflix is no stranger to making a cracking documentary, but one of their latest offerings has viewers deeming it the best they have ever seen. Like, seriously.
The documentary, which came out earlier this year, focuses on freediving – a scary sport in which people dive as deep as they can all while holding their breath. The extreme activity is popular among thrillseekers, who get their kicks from not having to rely on any specialised gear to keep them alive.
The new documentary, titled The Deepest Breath, tells the story of a couple Alessia Zecchini and Stephen Keenan, who work together to break freediving records.
If you want to watch the doc without any spoilers, it’s best to stop reading at this point because we’re about to detail some spoilers from the nearly 2-hour long film.
Zecchini, who hails from Italy, set a new world record for freediving with 2 fins in constant buoyancy by diving to a depth of 109 meters near Moalboal in the Philippines. Her Irish partner Keenan worked with her as his safety diver.
The documentary revolves around Zecchini training to take on one of her biggest challenges yet – the Blue Hole in Dahab, Egypt, where she will have to plunge to 184m deep and make it through an 85-foot-long tunnel to come out the other side.
Zecchini was supposed to meet Keenan in the tunnel, but tragically the pair missed each other, resulting in a scramble for Keenan to locate his diving partner. Keenan used his final moments to ensure that Zecchini was facing upwards and would get to the surface, before he blacked out and tragically died.
The heart-wrenching documentary made a huge impression on viewers, many of whom took to social media to share their reviews of the film.
“The Deepest Breath on Netflix is the best documentary I’ve ever seen in my life. 10.0/10. I can’t stress how good this was enough. Maybe the most captivating story ever told,” one person wrote.
A second put: “The Deepest Breath on Netflix is remarkable, go watch it. The best documentary I have ever seen about some remarkable humans pushing the boundaries of free diving, and life…”
While a third said: “Another emotional, tragic, heartbreaking documentary. Real footage got me holding my breath too. Beautifully made, The Deepest Breath is simply one of the best.”
