Fantastic Fest 2024: ‘The Fall’
by Tito W. James
I can understand why The Fall fell into obscurity. The film can’t really decide whether it wants to be a movie for children or for adults. It lacks the madcap whimsy of a Terry Gilliam adventure story and doesn’t have the macabre undertone of a Del Toro fable. The result is a film that’s too saccharine for many adults and too serious for most children.
“In silent-era Hollywood, stuntman Roy Walker (Lee Pace) is brought to a hospital after an on-set accident leaves him paralyzed. There, he befriends a young girl called Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) and starts telling her a fantastical tale of epic heroes trying to take revenge on an evil ruler – whilst secretly planning his own suicide.”
What truly shines in The Fall is director Tarsem Singh’s cinematography. Each frame is like a classical painting and witnessing the film on a big screen is truly transporting. The costumes are also designed by the legendary Eiko Ishioka who worked with Singh on The Cell and Immortals as well as Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula. Some films are best watched for the eye-candy and The Fall is one of them.
