Who is Francisco 'Pipin' Ferreras? Former diving champion sues Netflix over 'No Limit' movie
LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA: Netflix’s French romantic drama, ‘No Limit', directed by David M Rosenthal, is a story about a student and a legendary deep-sea diver. The movie is said to be based on the real-life of Francisco Ferreras and his wife, Audrey Mestre, a celebrity couple in the world of free diving. ‘No Limit’ is quite a catch for those who love romantic drama.
The plot of the movie revolves around a student named Roxana Aubrey (Camille Rowe) who decides to drop her studies and leave Paris to participate in a free diving competition. ‘No Limit’ portrays a dark romance between Aubrey and Pascal Gautier (Sofiane), a legendary deep-sea diver. The movie is themed with arresting sexual scenes and visually captivating graphics. Based on the life of a French freediver Francisco and his wife, Audrey, the movie presents unhealthy competition and obsession with winning in this adventurous sport. The viewers of the film will get to see several events in the life of real freedivers. Although narrated on true events, the movie is still a work of fiction.
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Who is Francisco Ferraras?
Francisco 'Pipin' Ferreras is a former world champion free diver from the Dominican Republic. He is known for his deep dives and has set several world records in the sport. He was the first person to reach 100 meters in a single breath and set the world record for the deepest free dive without fins, reaching a depth of 94 meters. Ferreras has been a prominent figure in the world of free diving for many years. He is also a coach and has trained several top free divers, including his wife, Audrey Mestre, who tragically died during a deep dive in 2002.
True story behind Netflix’s ‘No Limit’
‘No Limit’ is loosely based on the life of French freediver Audrey Mestre who tragically died in 2002. The movie follows the life of Roxana and Pascal, whose lives are troubled. While Roxana suffers from depression, Pascal faces extreme violence from his father. They both end up in an affair; however, unaware of Pascal’s promiscuous nature, she falls for him. Their relationship brings toxicity to their profession (sea diving), as Roxana starts to make a name for herself while Pascal seems to be jealous of her achievements. He pushes her to dangerous limits, hoping she does not exceed his maximum limit. But due to his physical limitations, he constantly fails to break the record. In an attempt to make him happy, Roxana dares to break a life-threatening record. After reaching the depth of the ocean, she finds herself struggling with the equipment, which is not working, resulting in her death for not coming to the surface of the water on time.
The movie's storyline resonates with Audrey's life, as both she and Francisco were great divers, and the death of Audrey was similar to that of Roxana. Many speculate that the movie implies Francisco murdered his wife as he intentionally sabotaged her equipment. Though the movie is said to be based on true events, a disclaimer note was quickly released stating, “The film remains a work of fiction. Any resemblance with reality is coincidental.” Francisco claims he tried to save his wife, but she died shortly after reaching the water’s surface.
Why is Francisco suing Netflix?
Francisco Ferreras is suing Netflix for defamation and invasion of privacy of his personal life. Also, accusing him of the death of his wife through ‘No Limit', he filed a lawsuit against Netflix in March 2023. He alleges that ‘No Limit’ wrongly accuses him of his wife’s death and shows him as her murderer. Ferreras also claims that the movie’s creators did not take his consent to broadcast a “false story.” As per the 2012 ESPN documentary, “Audrey Mestre: The Truth Behind the Deep,” Audrey’s 561 feet dive lacked the crucial safety protocols and the presence of a first responder required for such a feat. Francisco is planning on releasing a documentary illustrating the real story behind the death of Audrey.