7 Beats Per Minute- Movie Review-Freediving & Trauma In Breathtaking Documentary-Theatrical Run Starting In March

 Awards and Festivals

Human Spirit Award Winner Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, Chagrin Falls, U.S.A. (2024)

Social Impact Gratitude Award-Centre Film Festival - Sports on Screen Jury, U.S.A. (2024)

World Premiere - Official Selection SXSW - South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, Austin, U.S.A. (2024)

Official Selection Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival, Toronto, Canada (2024)

Official Selection-DocLands Documentary Film Festival, San Rafael, U.S.A. (2024)

Official Selection- Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada (2024)

Official Selection-Warsaw International Film Festival, Poland (2024)

Official Selection-Pianeta Mare Film Festival, Naples, Italy (2024)

Official Selection-Victoria Film Festival, Canada (2025)

Official Selection-Available Light Film Festival, Whitehorse, Canada (2025)

The film is finishing up its weekend at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema 

Sunday, February 16 – 2:45 p.m. (Relaxed Screening)*

*New dates have been announced*

Montreal at Cinema du Parc starting March 7

VIFF Centre in Vancouver starting March 14

Prairie City Cinema in Portage La Prairie, MB in mid-April

(These are the most current confirmed dates that I received just yesterday from the NFB)

Jessea Lu swimming to the surface. Photo credit: Image from the film - Courtesy of Intuitive Pictures and the National Film Board of Canada.

When I first saw Luc Besson's The Big Blue(1988), it made me curious about the world of freediving, not that I would want to partake in it, or even deep sea diving. I was just curious what would make someone want to do it.

Now many years later with this film, we are travelling into the depths with Jessea Lu, right beside her as she attempts to break the world record and descend 300 feet. Jessea blacked out and was lifeless for four minutes. It is a nerve-wracking thing to watch a lifeless body.

(Jessea Lu floating on the water's surface. Photo credit: Image from the film Courtesy of Intuitive Pictures and the National Film Board of Canada.)

The number of hours it takes to train for this kind of thing is pretty intense as one can imagine. 

*In just four years, Jessea has won several and was already consistently ranking in the top 10 in international competitions, despite being a successful full-time medical consultant who was training only part-time. (*from notes from the director--Yuqi Kang)

I have been able to hold my breath for a few minutes, as I am sure we have all tried to do when we go swimming at one point in our lives, but she was on a reality show where she held her breath for almost 11 minutes underwater.

Jessea Lu getting ready on the boat, before the competition. Photo credit: Image from the film - Courtesy of Intuitive Pictures and the National Film Board of Canada.

The Original Music by Frannie Holder, Mario Sevigny, and Lauren Belec brings a sometimes haunting mood to the film, especially when we are following Jessea to the break of the water as she is being assisted to the top by some of the medical team that are in the water to make sure the divers are safe.

She has been dealing with some childhood trauma that has been following her around all her life, she shares those words that were spoken to her as a child and she remembers that after the age of six, she doesn't recall a hug or a kiss from her mother. Was often called a slut or other hurtful things for most of her life. Now at 30, at the time of filming, she finds peace in the sea, she mentions that another diver told her that she should change her name from Jessie to Jessea because she is so in tune with the ocean.