Review of Juan Briseño’s film The Suspended Breath (Seré breve al momento de morir). A tense gay love triangle set in the world of dance.

A low-budget Mexican film, The Suspended Breath immerses us in the daily lives of two gay dancers, Sebastián (Martín Saracho) and Arsenio (Joan Kuri). The two young men fall deeply in love. Their whirlwind happiness heals Sebastián’s wounds and calms his self-destructive tendencies. But when a new choreographer, the highly authoritarian and sadistic Mikael (Mikael Lacko), joins their dance company, things become more complicated.

Mikael enjoys humiliating the dancers and pushing them to their limits, and he reshuffles the deck by announcing that everyone is now competing to become the lead dancer in the upcoming show. This is enough to create a fierce atmosphere of competition. Although Sebastián and Arsenio promise to support each other no matter what, reality is more ambivalent, as each dreams of winning the prize. To complicate matters even further, Mikael seems far from insensitive to Sebastián’s charm, drawn to his vulnerability…

A gay romantic drama in the demanding world of professional dance

Readily citing Swan Lake, this very modest independent film may suffer in comparison with other major films set in the world of dance (Black Swan foremost among them). The Suspended Breath does not aspire to become a masterpiece of the seventh art, being aware of its limited means. Director Juan Briseño makes do with what he has, and although he sometimes stumbles over clichéd details and heavy-handed direction, he succeeds in creating some very beautiful scenes and shots. Above all, and most importantly, he makes his characters likeable and creates genuine tension.

Love triangle and toxic rivalry: a touch of darkness and thriller

The bright, pure romance of two young men who share the same passion gives way to a love triangle against a backdrop of competition, with an increasingly thriller-like tone. Darkness enters the picture, and the masks fall in sometimes surprising ways.

Depicting the extreme difficulty of the world of dance, and the rivalry that can transform the purest love into an extremely toxic relationship, this feature film is at once fragile, imperfect and promising, keeping us thoroughly on edge. All with a certain sensuality, as the trio of lead actors certainly do not lack magnetism.

Film produced in 2024, available on VOD, DVD and on the LGBT Films platform

Other gay films set in the world of dance to discover

• Night Scenes
• 10DANCE
• The Demons of Dawn
• And Then We Danced
• 5 DANCES