“Fall”

A film with no symbolism, allegory or even political statements that I can recall.. and PHEW for that! This is simple, clean fun and as such it is a welcome change of pace.

“Fall” (2022) is a what if/survival tale with a schlock-horror edge reminiscent of films such as “The Shallows”, “Adrift” (whereby a group of young heady adults are forcibly adrift outside their yacht as no one placed the ladder out before they jumped into the middle of the ocean, with the deck of the yacht just out of their reach) and the perhaps more under-seen but no less gruelling chair-lift terror entitled “Frozen” - where three youngsters find themselves trapped on a chairlift in the snow after everyone’s gone home for the season. These are gripping films where thrill seekers and/or everyday young people find themselves in frighteningly remote locations where their survival is often dictated by the elements or nature in some form. That they tap into our own primal need to survive in trying circumstances is what makes the viewing of these films so palpably frightening.

This year’s “Fall” is similarly a part of this sub-genre, stranding the main characters in another isolated setting. “Fall” is about two thrill-seeking young women Hunter (Virginia Gardner) and Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) who after a tragic mountain-climbing incident in the opening sequence (where one of their husband’s falls to his death) the two best-friends, almost a year later decide to climb a 2000 foot T.V tower in the Mojave desert as a way of facing their fears and moving on from the past.

Of course they are asking for trouble, yet suspend your disbelief here and just go with it. Aiming to film their climb atop the tower for Hunter’s Instagram audience, they eventually make their way slowly up the tower. After little more than five minutes into this climb I could no longer feel my feet and my fingertips were going numb - I think my hands and limbs were clasped so night that there was minimal blood flow. Saying too much more is a bit of a spoiler - although the pair do become stranded. (I would suggest not watching the trailer first as some relevant scenes work best with no prior visual).

The film becomes more about what you would do in this scenario? Could you survive if you were stranded atop and what crazy ingenuity might you come up with in order to do so? Or perhaps you would rather succumb to your fate? It’s a fascinating conundrum that makes the often preposterous nature of these films, dare I say it, a little existential. Yet while “Fall” doesn’t play on a symbolic level, it does ask you to participate which makes it an ‘experience’, unlike most mainstream films of late. By placing ourselves in the characters’ shoes (as outlandish as their dilemma is in “Fall”) it is this relationship the film allows you to have with it which makes it a riveting success. So find the biggest screen you can, sit close to the front and buckle your invisible seatbelt - you’ll need it!

The vertiginous height demonstrated through dazzling camera trickery by the special effects department give this ridiculously frightening scenario credence. Some scenes are particularly nauseating if you’re afraid of heights (and frankly it’s that visceral reaction I wanted when I heard about this film). The director Scott Mann and cinematographer MacGreggor get more than enough mileage out of proceedings which really gets the audience’s pulses racing.

I was pleased to receive a few decent little surprises as well as SHOCK HORROR, a little character development in the latter half. Particularly Grace Caroline Curry’s performance as Becky becomes stronger, that I started to really buy into her plight and empathise.

“Fall” obviously is not Oscar bait, but if you are game to have a fun, rollicking ride at the cinema that really places YOU into the position of the characters’ dilemma, then I highly recommend giving “Fall” a go.

I’m giving “Fall” ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ out of five

You can now check out “Fall” on streaming and DVD/Blu-ray

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You can also check out my recent film review of “The Northman” here: