Directed by Scott Mann, “Fall” is one of the most terrifying movies and note that this is not a horror film. The film is about two best friends (played by Virginia Gardner and Grace Caroline Currey) who climb a 2,000-foot-tall defunct radio tower in a small desert town and become stranded after a huge portion of the ladder breaks away after they reach the top. The good performances, impressive visuals, and cinematography will make the heart jump out of the chest. The film is 1 hour and 47 minutes of utter terror.
Becky (Currey) and Hunter (Gardner) are friends but have drifted apart after the death of Becky’s husband Dan (Mason Gooding) in a climbing incident. Becky could not move on with life, secludes herself, drinking too much, and chained to Dan’s memory. Her father wants to help her, but she won’t let him. This is all very standard stuff. Becky gets a visit from Hunter and eventually agrees to climb the obscenely tall tower with her.
The cinematography makes this movie, and the film’s sequences with heart-pounding manner. The foreshadowing is well done. Also strong is the absolute scale of the radio tower, which stretches above the desert surroundings with its rust-coloured skeleton. The camera focus is on the inside of the cage as the two climb. Things do not get too harrowing, even as they reach disastrous heights, until later.
However, a few moments later, this film brings the terror in bucket full. When the ladder snaps off taking Becky with it (who manages to grasp on to her friend’s arm before the entire external tower ladder of 500-foot worth peels away), the adrenaline is top notch. I also appreciated the film’s attention to detail as Becky works her way to safety. A good thirty seconds later we hear the pieces of the ladder smash into the ground below.
The film “Fall” details Becky and Hunter trying to find ways to get down and to get help. While there are some elements that happen for the convenience of the screenplay (including a couple of unhelpful passersby), most of their discussions of survival make sense, and we can follow easily. As the eagles close in (the duo is atop the tower’s ledge for days), things become more dire.
The film has all types of modern elements such as cellphones, live streaming, and drones. Hunter lives a “dangerous” life, and wants to chronicle her adventures for all her Instagram followers. Meanwhile, Becky urges her to be herself. Selfies dangling one-handed from a metal grate 2,000 feet in the air seems absurd, but in today’s age of selfie-ing everything, it fits into the film.
The film’s terror comes from when the camera shows the view the duo sees from the top down, or the times they nearly fall, or when eagles swoop them, or when their attempts at rescue fail, one-by-one. “Fall” gives some reprieve as the two sit on the tower, talking about life, or contemplating rescue ideas. The “Life is short” dialogue spoken by Hunter to Becky, “Life is short. Too short. Do something that makes you feel alive”. This sentiment emphasizes the need to seize the moment and live life to its fullest, as life is fleeting and unpredictable.
“Fall” offers terror through palpable visuals. Between the wind whipping at the girls’ faces from 2,000 feet to their almost constant near-falls, the film keeps the adrenaline at peak levels. People who suffer from vertigo or acrophobia will have a hard time with this movie. The tension is almost too great at times, but something makes you to see the movie. Anyone who is looking to remain on the edge of the seat, “Fall” will reward amply.
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional. What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
