Keep Breathing tells the story of Liv, a lone plane crash survivor in the Canadian wilderness, as she struggles to move forward in adverse conditions. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Keep Breathing is not just a story of survival, but also weaves in a psychological understanding of Liv’s behaviour and ties in with her past memories.
Liv’s first flight to Inuvik gets cancelled, and she strikes a deal with two men who were planning on flying a small private plane to the destination.
She boards the flight and falls asleep, only to be woken up as the plane crashes and soon results in the death of her two co-passengers.
Liv is the only survivor from the plane crash, and battles hunger, boredom and fear as she tries to make it out alive, guided by images of her unborn baby, her love interest- Danny, and memories of her parents and childhood.
She retrieves her baggage, escapes a bear, tries to find food, lights a fire for warmth and much more in a bid to make it out of this situation alive.
Liv’s turbulent surroundings and mental state lead to an understanding of her psyche and brings forth memories from her turbulent childhood.
We also find out the real reason that Liv is rushing to Inuvik is to see her mother, after a while of no contact.
She has a bunch of postcards that her mother had sent, but her father had kept hidden from her. It is these postcards that she forms a connection with, and follows, in order to meet her mother.
Her relationship with her parents was not the best, and instances from her childhood and her separation from a maternal figure have taken a toll on her mental well-being over the past couple of years.
Motherhood is a significant theme, as it is revealed that Liv is pregnant as well. This, in turn, raises concerns for the well-being of the unborn child. Would the child have been able to survive the crash as well as the mental and physical toll that had taken place on Liv’s body?
The weaving of the storylines between the past and the present gives insight into her emotions and actions and creates a narrative that allows her to move forward due to these very past memories, and those that she wishes to create moving forward in life.
Keep Breathing ending explained in detail:
Is Liv alive?
After a while of wandering towards a light source, Liv comes across a gushing river and decides to jump in, following the advice she remembered her father had shared with her some time ago.
She holds onto a branch in the water along with her mother’s old postcards, but eventually has to let go of both these items and gets swept away by the strong current.
She is finally rescued by two men who spot her in the water, and she eventually breathes and comes back to consciousness, proving that she survives, and is indeed alive and well.
While we do not get to see her go back to her life, it is a consolation to see that she survives the tough conditions she was put through.
Does Liv get to meet her mother?
Unfortunately, no, there is no scene that shows them meeting, nor is there any indication that Liv got to complete her goal of meeting her mother.
Besides the time she hallucinated her mother’s presence, they do not ever get to actually meet.
Over the time she spent alone in the forest, Liv understands and comes to terms with her mother’s apparent perspective on family life and motherhood, and is quite content with what she understands.
So, it is perhaps for the best that this feeling of hope of reuniting lingers on a bit longer.
Does Liv’s baby survive?
While it was made clear that Liv was pregnant, presumably with Danny’s baby, it is not clear if the baby survives all the events of the last few days.
Liv miraculously survives the crash, the fall, the hunger and the near-drowning experience she faces but it is hard to guess if the unborn baby makes it through such remarkably dangerous instances.
Liv also dreams of a hospital scene where she delivers a happy and healthy baby. It could either be a fantasy that she wishes would happen, or a sort of foreshadowing of what the future holds for her.
This raises hopes and gives way for a chance to believe that the child may have miraculously survived and kept breathing, just like she did.
The uncertain ending leaves many unanswered questions but raises hopes for a happy resolution of this journey.
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