TSOINSPIRED PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

She Breathes

Director: Ivey-Camille Manybeads Tso
Producer: Rachel Cox
Producer: Robb Macleod
Runtime: 35 minutes

She Breathes

Director: Ivey-Camille Manybeads Tso
Producer: Rachel Cox
Producer: Robb Macleod
Runtime: 35 minutes

WORDS AND PICTURES

Eighteen years old, alone and surrounded by complete silence and darkness, lost in a cave. “She Breathes” is an uplifting story of the longest rescue in Wind Cave history, told by the woman who was lost, and her filmmaker daughter. A personal story of danger and community.

In the fall of 1989 a series of events would fall into place to change the life of a young Rachel Cox, after having an emotionally devastating fall out with her mother she embarks on a semester long NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course. While having a challenging time keeping up with the other course mates, and often being called the “weakest link”, she set off to prove herself capable in the caving portion of the course. Being one of the smaller members and comfortable in dark, damp, small spaces she excelled flying through the tight turns off Wind Cave. Instead of checking her gear on the day of the final, a mock search and rescue, she made a plea to the grave of a past caver for help, she would then find herself isolated and lost several hours later.

Wind Cave is a national park hidden under the legendary black hills of South Dakota, with rolling green hills teeming with wildlife and excited outdoor and park enthusiasts. Scientists come from all over to study above and below ground. The cave itself is one of the oldest caves in the world as well as one of the largest with more underground being discovered consistently. It holds both historical and geological secrets in its darkness; being the birthplace of the Lakota, Oglala, and Sioux Nations, and a wondrous barometric phenomenon that allows the cave to not just breathe but come alive. Wind cave is the third longest cave in the United States, and the first cave made into a national park. Exploring the depths will always be a look into the past as well as a new future of discovery learning evermore about its unique features. Nicknamed the Womb of Mother Earth, everyone in Rachel’s course who visited the cave left reborn with new passions for life and a lifelong drive to help the land and people around them.

With this unique window back into 1989 we are able to see how just a few weeks, days, or even hours can have unimaginable ripple effects. Wind cave, from what was a national news story, would benefit in getting funding for cave scientists discovering more of this hidden gem. Rachel spent the next decades feeling shame around a teenage misadventure. She hid from her fellow classmates, and left the cave, her secondary mother figure, behind.

But everything changed with the death of Rachel’s young son. In a not so chance reunion with Robb he convinced Rachel to return to Wind Cave. Once there she learned a terrifying experience in her life was in fact a turning point for many others.

As her daughter, I have grown up hearing only one side to this remarkable story, in learning and discovering that the people and journey are just as complex as the cave itself. In a personal documentary about self discovery and accidental change, this film is an expedition into the past. From 320 million years ago with the formation of its early caverns, to today’s lessons from its depths.

WEAVING THE THREADS

Wind Cave is a window in time with its vast history. It has kept a record of the earth for the past 320 million years, and now we will record a small piece of her history. We have access to course photos and intimate looks into the Fall Semester Course in the rockies.

BeforeAfter

Moving between the neon bright 1989 and the more muted present day, we will weave between eras and ages. Playing with colors and darkness, as well as discovering reality versus memory. To allow for the cohesive story telling aspect color will play a major role.

BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter

Every character will be assigned a color This will be their animated thread moving through the cave, slight distortion that will be used in animation to show memory vs reality, and as their drop shadow color for each lower third.

BeforeAfter

The tunnels of the cave serve as a map for detangling a story as dense as the densest cave on earth. Using threads of color we will animate a story in relative darkness to bring forth a beautiful mosaic to see those who preserved then become the healers, helpers, and artists of today. Mixing mediums such as stop motion, neon painting, and traditional investigative documentary we will tell a personal story from the dual perspective of Rachel and the investigation done by a child learning to understand a mother. I believe that this becomes a story every child can relate to and every wilderness enthusiast will be riveted.

Thank you for your interest. We’d love to hear from you.

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