Yahoo Lifestyle Is 'Last Breath' Based on a True Story?
Last Breath, the 2025 movie now in theaters, recounts the tale of a 2012 saturation diving incident that resulted in the rupture of Chris Lemons' umbilical cord, a pipeline that supplies heat, oxygen, and communications to divers. He fell 100 meters (about 300 feet) into the ocean's depth to survive on his own without lights or communication. His crew on the Bibby Topaz vessel found and rescued him after having to breathe without oxygen for around half an hour.
Last Breath, which was directed by Alex Parkinson and co-written by Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks stars Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Cliff Curtis and Finn Cole as the real life Bibby Topaz crew who faced incredible odds and got one of their lost ones back home. No man left behind even if he’s at the bottom of the sea.
Last Breath, the 2025 narrative feature, is actually based on Last Breath, the 2019 documentary about the same subject that was also directed by Parkinson. So what did Parkinson’s feature get right and which details did the latest film dramatize? Here are the details behind the incredible true story that inspired Last Breath:
Is the Last Breath movie based on a true story?
Yes. Last Breath is based on the true story of the Bibby Topaz vessel team. The mission to remove a piece of pipe from an oil rig turns into a freak accident, and divers Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson) and David Yuasa (Simu Liu), along with the vessel's control room team, must work together to rescue Chris Lemons (Finn Cole) from the ocean's depths.
Per the Focus Features synopsis, “A heart-pounding film that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Based on a true story, Last Breath is an electrifying story about teamwork, resilience, and a race against time to do the impossible.”
The film is based on the 2019 documentary of the same name, also helmed by Alex Parkinson.
Where can I watch the Last Breath documentary?
Last Breath, the 2019 documentary is available to stream for free via Hoopla. It's also rentable on Apple TV+, YouTube, and Google Play.
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Were any of the divers real people?
Yes, all the divers, Duncan Allcock, David Yuasa, and Chris Lemons are actually professional divers with the same names. Lemons was coming up on eight years as a diver when the incident happened. Allcock had been a professional diver for 20 years by the time of the incident. He mostly mentored Lemons, who he had a close friendship with. Yusasa, who ended up saving Lemons from the metal platform, is also a well-experienced diver.
How long did Chris Lemons survive without oxygen?
In the Last Breath's credits it was stated that Lemons was without oxygen for 29 minutes. That is true. In a LADbible article it’s stated that, "Lemons was seen waving for help as he came to - more than 35 minutes after he had begun to consume his emergency supply of oxygen, which only had six-minutes of air." According to the calculations, Lemons remained dormant on top of a metal structure for a duration of 29 minutes after his oxygen tank was depleted.
A card at the end of the film states that scientists are unsure how Lemons survived without oxygen for so long without brain damage, but speculates that it had something to do with the cold/pressure of the deep sea conditions.
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Did Chris Lemons face any lingering damage?
No. Lemons walked away from the event unscathed. According to a BBC Scotland news report, "But the miracle of his colleagues' superhuman efforts to save him, and his body lasting 35 minutes on a six-minute emergency air tank, saw him not only living to resume his diving job and marry his fiancée, but to suffer no ill effects of a lack of oxygen."
What are any of the divers up to today?
Lemons is still a commercial diver, specializing in deep-sea saturation diving. Three weeks after his near-death experience, Lemons went back to the sea to complete the mission he and his colleagues sought out to do originally. Though not much about the remaining crew’s current occupations is known, they did, however, got to meet their actor counterparts. In the film’s press notes, Woody Harrelson states, “Well, it was a cool thing to meet the real Duncan. I had already heard that he was literally just one of the most beloved people. Everybody loves him. Then you meet him, and you get why because he is really such an interesting, funny, cool, smart guy.” The same goes for Liu with Yuasa, "I was really excited to meet him because, knowing what he went through, knowing what he did on the day and in real life, I knew that there was just an incredible person behind this facade of a stoic, seasoned veteran. And it was such an incredible honor.”
Meanwhile, Cole chatted about more intimate topics with Lemons, stating, "Of course, we tried to talk a little bit about the more emotional side. It’s harder to grasp what really these guys go through on a daily basis, especially after an incident like this."
Where to watch the movie Last Breath?
Last Breath releases exclusively in theaters everywhere on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.
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