Review of The Fall (2006) by Kari F — 27 Jul 2010

The Fall, set in the 1920â??s, centers around a hospitalized film stuntman named Roy (Lee Pace) and a young girl, Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), whose imagination is ignited (and magically depicted) as Roy weaves a fantastical epic of adventure, revenge and love to gain her trust in order to persuade her to steal drugs for him so that he might commit suicide.

Starting off with a wonderfully shot black-and-white scene (which we later learn to be the accident which causes Royâ??s temporary partial paralysis), The Fall is absolutely bursting with gorgeous, richly colorful, brilliantly shot visuals, from the interior of the hospital to each and every part of the world shown in Royâ??s story through Alexandriaâ??s imagination. Extensive location shooting provides stunningly beautiful backdrops for the exquisitely costumed characters populating the fictional universe of Royâ??s story, each locale, combined with endlessly inventive practical visual effects (and even some stop-motion animation), topping the last in terms of scope and sheer wonderment. If the film were cut down to only silent shots of the world of Royâ??s story, it would still be worth watching. Luckily, there is so much more to the film than that.

In addition to a moving score by Krishna Levy, The Fall features amazing, truly moving performances by its leads. Paceâ??s Roy starts out as merely a friendly storyteller, tired of being cooped up in a hospital bed. It soon becomes clear, however, that thereâ??s a lot more going on beneath the surface. Roy is a troubled soul, hurting to the point of attempted suicide and not sure how to come to grips with his situation or how to interact with those around him when his world begins to crumble. As powerful as his performance is, Untaruâ??s is infinitely more so; one of the truest depictions of childhood Iâ??ve seen in a film. Like Max in last yearâ??s brilliant Where the Wild Things Are, Alexandria is just a kid; impulsive, curious, self-centered, unconditionally loving, and totally real. This is due in large part to the specific efforts of Tarsem to keep her performance as realistic as possible, and from maintaining throughout production the illusion that Pace really could not walk to shooting loosely scripted scenes with minimal crew, he certainly succeeded in creating a child character so believable, you would swear she was simply filmed going about her day and didnâ??t even know it.

As the film draws nearer to its conclusion, Alexandria herself begins to add to Royâ??s story, and more and more figures from the â??real worldâ?? show up as characters in it. (This reminded me a lot of The Wizard of Oz.) As Roy begins to lose both his hope and his will to finish the story, Alexandria finally understands that there is something wrong with her friend, and the importance of their relationship is fully realized by the both of them.

And that is the true beauty of this film: Alexandriaâ??s unbridled imagination and her selfless caring for a man she barely knows make for a triumphant salute both to the glory of childhood and the power of storytelling. The Fall is a true gem of a movie; both a visual marvel and an emotionally resonant, powerfully moving work. It is a must-see fantasy film.