A taut, nuanced story about the depths of female friendships and the dark side of teenage infatuations, BREATHE, the sophomore directorial effort from Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds, Beginners), is an assured adaptation of the sensational French young adult novel of the same name. Charlie is seventeen and bored. Her estranged parents are too caught up in their own drama to pay too much attention to her. School holds no surprises either and Charlie grows tired of her staid friends. Enter Sarah, a hip new transfer student who brings with her an alluring air of boldness and danger. The two girls form an instant connection. Sarah brings the excitement Charlie so desperately seeks, and Charlie is a stable influence on the wild-child. Through shared secrets, love interests and holiday getaways, their relationship deepens to levels of unspoken intimacy. But with this intimacy comes jealousy and unrealistic expectations, and the teens soon find themselves on a trajectory toward an inevitable and extraordinary collapse, one so jarring neither could have ever seen it coming.