Breathing

“Breathing” is set in a small Illinois suburb during the summer of
1951. The action takes place on the day Steve Huddle, 21, leaves for
military service in the Korean War.

Bill Huddle, Dad, has suffered a major stroke and can no longer work.
The family has had to move from an upper class countryside home into a
small house in town.

Alicia, Mom, becomes a twenty-four hour caregiver for Bill and a
target of his frustration at being handicapped.

Daughter Jo, 15, escapes the situation at home by taking a part-time
summer job at her high school, where the “fatherly” vice-principal
lures her into an illicit affair.

Son Steve, 21, at odds with Dad’s values and angry at his treatment
of Mom, desperately wants both parents’ love and approval before he
leaves for duty.

The title “Breathing” relates to the family’s voices and
breathing relayed throughout the house, day and night, via plug-in
speakers.

To read the opening scenes, click here