A Mouthful of Air (2021) is an intimate, quietly devastating portrayal of motherhood and mental illness — a film that peels back the tender surface of domestic life to reveal the raw vulnerability beneath. Adapted from Amy Koppelman’s own novel, the film is a sensitive and unflinching depiction of postpartum depression, anchored by a remarkably restrained and aching performance from Amanda Seyfried.
Seyfried plays Julie Davis, a children’s book author known for writing about emotional safety and comfort, who, ironically, is battling an overwhelming and often invisible darkness of her own. After the birth of her first child, she struggles with a suffocating sense of inadequacy and despair, despite a loving husband (Finn Wittrock), supportive family, and seemingly stable life. When she becomes pregnant again, her world — already on fragile ground — begins to falter.
Koppelman directs with a gentle, almost dreamlike touch. The film’s pastel palette, soft lighting, and quiet domestic spaces contrast with the turmoil Julie experiences internally. There’s no melodrama, no grand breakdowns — just a persistent ache, a hollow silence that grows heavier with each passing day. This understated style makes the film all the more affecting, capturing the subtle, creeping nature of depression.
Amanda Seyfried is the soul of the film, delivering a performance that is deeply empathetic and heartbreakingly real. Her expressive eyes and trembling voice convey what the script often leaves unsaid. The supporting cast, including Paul Giamatti and Amy Irving, offer solid turns, but it’s Seyfried’s portrayal that leaves a lasting imprint.
A Mouthful of Air is a quiet film, but one with a powerful message — that the inner struggles of women, particularly around motherhood, are too often unseen and unspoken. It’s not easy to watch, but its compassion and honesty make it an essential one.
A soft, sorrowful whisper of a film — and a vital portrait of pain hidden behind a smile.
