By Creative Media Times

Andrew Garfield might be headed for another awards contention in Andy Serkis’ directorial debut “Breathe.”

Based on a true story, Garfield plays Robin Cavendish, a young man who became paralyzed from the neck down after contracting polio while his wife Diana, played by Claire Foy, inspires him through his struggles. Cavendish became a pioneering advocate for the disabled.

Serkis, known for his motion-capture roles as Gollum in Lord of the Rings and as Caesar in Planet of the Apes series, is behind the camera this time. Serkis gets to do both tasks in next year’s Jungle Book, the live-action adventure fantasy film from Warner Bros which he is directing as well as voicing his motion capture performance as Baloo.

Gorgeously shot by multi-Oscar winner Robert Richardson, “Breathe” also stars Tom Hollander, Hugh Bonneville, Dean-Charles Chapman, Miranda Raison, Stephen Mangan. The film played earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival and will open in theaters on Oct. 13.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

For his directorial debut, Andy Serkis brings to life the inspiring true love story between Robin and Diana Cavendish (Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy), an adventurous couple who refuse to give up in the face of a devastating disease. When Robin is struck down by polio at the age of 28, he is confined to a hospital bed and given only a few months to live. With the help of Diana’s twin brothers (Tom Hollander) and the groundbreaking ideas of inventor Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville), Robin and Diana dare to escape the hospital ward to seek out a full and passionate life together — raising their young son, traveling and devoting their lives to helping other polio patients. Written by two-time Academy Award nominated writer William Nicholson, and shot by three-time Academy Award winner Robert Richardson, BREATHE is a heartwarming celebration of love and human possibility.”