Keep Breathing puts Melissa Barrera on a crashed plane in the Canadian wilderness and asks her to fight the cold, the hunger, and her own past. That setup sounds simple. It plays out as a long, quiet stretch of waiting for the payoff that never quite arrives.
The premise is strong: a sharp lawyer crashes in the middle of nowhere, and she must survive the elements and her own demons. Netflix made the show a limited series, six episodes long, and it premiered on July 28, 2022.
Trailer, via Netflix.
Liv’s Fall
Melissa Barrera plays Olivia “Liv” Rivera, a sharp attorney who crashes in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. She is the whole engine of the story, and she carries it through the slow patches with skill. The problem is that the story around her doesn’t match her energy.
Jeff Wilbusch shows up as Danny, Liv’s off-and-on love interest. Florencia Lozano plays Mrs. Rivera, Liv’s mother. Juan Pablo Espinosa plays Mr. Rivera, Liv’s father. Austin Stowell plays Sam, a co-pilot who lets Liv fly with him. Getenesh Berhe plays Ruth, Liv’s co-worker and friend, who sets her and Danny up on a date.
The casting is solid across the board. Barrera anchors the series with a grounded performance that keeps the viewer invested even when the plot stalls.
The Wilderness Test
The wilderness itself is the real villain here. The show spends episode after episode on Liv’s struggle against the cold, the hunger, and the wild animals around her. That should work. Instead, the pacing drags badly in the middle, with too much time spent watching Liv battle the elements without much forward motion.
The premise is built for tension. What the show delivers is a steady, patient watch over a woman sitting in a snowy field, waiting for rescue or a way out.
The Cast Carries the Weight
Barrera holds the center of the screen from start to finish. Her performance grounds the series when the plot loses its momentum. Wilbusch, Lozano, Espinosa, Stowell, and Berhe all bring real chemistry to the supporting roles, giving Liv’s past a shape that the present storyline can’t fully live up to.
The casting decisions pay off in the smaller scenes, even when the larger story falters.
Where It Falls Short
The biggest problem is the middle stretch. Episodes three and four spend far too long in the wilderness without building toward a real resolution. The show leans on Liv’s memories of her family and her career to fill the space, but those flashbacks don’t add enough urgency to justify the slow pace.
There is no real build toward a climax. The show simply ends when the premise has run its course, without a satisfying arc to tie everything together.
The Verdict
Keep Breathing is a show with a great idea and a weak execution. Barrera carries it with skill, and the cast fills out the world around her well. But the pacing drags in the middle, and the payoff never lands with the force the premise deserves.
It’s a show that will appeal to viewers who want to see Barrera push herself in a demanding role, and to fans of the genre who can tolerate a slower burn. For everyone else, the wilderness stretches out longer than it should.
Key Facts Box
- Premiere: July 28, 2022
- Network: Netflix
- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Score: 4.5/10
The Episode Structure
- The crash and the immediate aftermath
- The early days in the wilderness
- The slow middle stretch
- The final push toward the end
- The wrap-up episodes
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