Early on, it seems that BREATHE will turn into an arthouse version of the nineties guilty pleasure POISON IVY - in which Drew Barrymore befriends mousy Sarah Gilbert, seduces her father Tom Skerritt, and enables mother Cheryl Ladd's pill addiction - but the film (based on the novel by Anne-Sophie Brasme) is more interested in realistically exploring the complexities of a young friendship tinged by secrets and jealousies while traveling into even darker areas than that mainstream film. Bored with her life and frustrated by the volatile relationship between her womanizing father (Hollywood's go-to guy for Eastern European baddies Radivoje Bukvic, TAKEN) and doormat mother (Isabelle Carré, MARIE'S STORY), studious Charlie (Joséphine Japy, THE MONK) becomes infatuated with charismatic transfer student Sarah (Lou de Laâge, THE TOURNAMENT). Quickly taking the place of Charlie's childhood friend Victoire (Roxane Duran, THE WHITE RIBBON) and charming her mother, Sarah becomes Charlie's confidant but she begins to notice the discrepancies in Sarah's stories about her absent mother and uncaring aunt. The sexual tension underlying their whirlwind friendship comes to a head at a camp retreat with Charlie's mother and aunt (Claire Keim) when Charlie's childhood crush triggers possessive feelings in Sarah (who nevertheless initiates and rebuffs physical intimacy with Charlie). Returning from the school holidays and gearing up for final exams, Charlie finds Sarah not only distant but using her secrets against her to ostracize her from her friends. In spite of support from Victoire and crush Lucas (Louka Meliava), Charlie continues to let Sarah walk all over her; and her attempts to understand Sarah better provoke even more hostility. A humiliated Charlie starts to fight back, but Sarah still knows just how to hurt her deeply, leading to a tragic final confrontation.