TIFF 2024 Review: HOLD YOUR BREATH Gets Lost In Its Own Dust

Courtesy Searchlight Pictures/TIFF

By Sarah Musnicky

There's an unexplored natural horror to play with in the Dust Bowl period. The conditions were stark, and the wide-open prairie already lent itself to the feeling of isolation. Displacement was common, with many forced to leave in pursuit of opportunity but mainly to ensure the survival of their families. That's why HOLD YOUR BREATH offers a bit of hope in historical terrain yet to be explored. Sarah Paulson's performance and the film's subject matter do just enough to fascinate. Unfortunately, the filmmakers didn't trust the story to maintain a steady direction, undermining it to the point of being forgettable.

Set in 1930s Oklahoma, HOLD YOUR BREATH follows the Bellum family. Margaret Bellum (Paulson) is trying to keep things afloat. Food is practically non-existent, with the drought having obliterated the crops. Dust storms threaten their very existence, but the slow creep of what remains finds its way through the cracks, the food, and everything the dust can get to. This triggers a form of OCD in Margaret, who obsessively cleans the home every day, fearing the illness dust can bring.

Revealed in flashbacks is the loss of a child. Her remaining children, Rose Bellum (Amiah Miller) and the deaf Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins), try to do as their mother says. But as mania and hallucinations start to take their toll, Rose begins to suspect that something is not entirely right with her mother. And the arrival of a mysterious preacher (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) does little to help the paranoia.

Paulson handles the slow, gradual descent into madness to perfection. While it's pretty much typecasting at this point, Paulson handles the nuances with ease, down to the micro expressions and muscular twitches. This is a woman barely holding it together, and without her husband there as her rock and her grief threatening to tear her apart, it's no wonder the prairies claim another with their natural isolation and brutal elements.

A lot gets thrown into the story to muddy the waters. There's the inclusion of Esther Smith (Annaleigh Ashford), who is a harbinger of Margaret's future if she's not diligent. A sideplot involving a variation of Child Protective Services, Smith's own decline, and the real dangers of dust storms distracts more than adds to HOLD YOUR BREATH. In execution, these sections feel like a different kind of movie. However, in the end, it does highlight everything Margaret can lose. But a less roundabout way would have been sufficient.

Courtesy IMDB

Separately, there's Moss-Bachrach's Wallace Grady. Multifaceted and not wholly trustworthy, how Grady integrates himself into the Bellum family's life highlights the vulnerable state of families left on the prairie. Desperation fuels a reliance, and Moss-Bachrach rides that fine line between gentleman and villain through his performance. It's such a shame we don't get much time with him, but his inclusion feeds into the paranoia that takes hold in Margaret once the threat becomes clear.

Amiah Miller's Rose grounds things and amplifies the real terror of the situation. She more than holds her own against Paulson. Scenes earlier in HOLD YOUR BREATH using Rose help the audience gauge what is reality and what isn't. Through Rose's eyes, we watch as her entire world collapses, which is heartbreaking.

The cinematography and setting amplify the family's isolation and horror. They are fragile and small against the wide-open prairie. The dust is an ever-present horror, whether in small quantities or large looming clouds barrelling down. The CGI work on the dust takes a person out, with it moving too smoothly in the air to feel realistic. But as Margaret's delusions and fear take over, the CGI aids in crafting an otherworldly feel to the dust as it transforms. Even still, it's a stretch.

Which leads us to the bigger issue. The story is pulled in all directions, with writer/co-director Karrie Crouse's screenplay throwing things in that aim to flesh out Margaret's fears. From a mysterious entity that serves as a metaphor for prairie madness to Esther Smith to Margaret's usage of sleeping pills to the arrival of Grady, there's a lot. It is unnecessarily busy and, ultimately, slows down and muddies the narrative. The execution of these subsequent pivots fails to convince, making the flaws more apparent.

As an examination of tragic madness, HOLD YOUR BREATH almost gets it. But it gets lost in the dust it hopes to use for scares. With its varying plot distractions, some of which end up checking off a generic horror monster box, it doesn't wholly take advantage of the magic in its setting. What keeps things going is the investment Paulson has in her Margaret's journey, and her performance may just be enough to keep viewers going.

HOLD YOUR BREATH had its World Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and will be available to stream on Hulu on October 3, 2024.