First Look: ‘The Deepest Breath’ Tells a Heartbreaking True Story About Diving

The Deepest Breath, which debuts on Netflix on July 19, tells the gripping, tragic story of two free divers, the world-record-holder Alessia Zecchini from Italy and her vigilant coach and safety expert, Stephen Keenan from Ireland. I won’t give away the nature of the tragedy, which took place in Dahab, Egypt, because McGann unspools it so suspensefully and movingly. But I will say that the documentary braids together many kinds of love: love between people, love of the ocean, love of excellence and adventure, love of original lives, love of tight-knit communities, and love of travel to places that are breathtaking, in both senses of the word.

McGann read an article about Zecchini and Keenan in a local paper, then began researching free diving, which hooked her with its beauty. The sport is simple, at least in theory: Athletes compete to see who can hold their breath the longest while swimming the deepest. For a dive to be valid, the swimmer must return to the surface, remain conscious, hold her head above water, and clearly announce, “I am okay.” In other words, it’s a sufficiently extreme sport that athletes have to prove they’re still alive.