Survival films are films where one or more individuals are trapped in a location for many days without means of getting help from anybody. Films like Buried, 127 Hours, and Cast Away have stood the test of time. You can add another survival film to the list: Fall by director Scott Mann. His other films aren’t very notable, so this one could be the big breakout film that could get him noticed as a filmmaker to keep your eyes on in the future.
Becky (Grace Fulton) is an adventurer who likes to climb mountains with her best friend, Hunter (Virginia Gardner). After a tragedy while climbing, she goes into a shell and starts to drink herself into a stuper every night for months. Even her father (Jeffery Dean Morgan) can’t get through to her. Her best friend returns after being away for a while, and she has a new adventure for them to conquer. She wants them to climb a two-thousand-foot radio tower in the middle of nowhere. Reluctantly she agrees.
Fall is a relatively simple film. Its concept is easy for viewers to get behind: two young women get stranded on top of a two-thousand-foot radio tower without means of escape. Like most of these types of films, the characters have some items at their disposal that help them in their plight to get help which are ways to forward the plot. This film has a couple of cell phones, a rope, and a drone that helps move the story forward. These are useful items in the overall scheme of the film.
In survival films, you must be interested in the trapped characters. The two main characters in this film were engaging to watch because the writers infused their personal relationships into the film’s plot. While stuck two thousand feet up in the air, they were able to get past issues in their past. With such a simple concept, the film needed something to help move the story forward, and the backstory of these two women was what hit the spot for the film. It worked very well in this regard.
The fact that these two characters were stuck so high up allowed the director to get some fantastic shots while they were up so high, so the cinematography looked excellent. Also, the film did something strange that was a little odd to me. While the characters were sleeping, they had nightmares. I didn’t think this fit very well in the film, but considering how simple the story is, the writers probably threw this stuff in to add a little flair to the film.
Fall is a survival film that doesn’t break new ground, but it had me scared as soon as these women started climbing that two-thousand-foot radio tower. I have a bit of vertigo when I am up high and when I see films with scenes that are very high like this one is. So my vertigo kicks in, and I get scared. I feel like I am up there with the characters, and if I’m not careful, I’ll fall. This film worked perfectly in that regard. I felt the heights, which put me right in the character’s shoes.
Fall worked on several levels for me, even though it didn’t break new ground in this genre. The relationship between the two main characters was very engaging, and I bought into their backstory. My vertigo kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the film. I just couldn’t sit back, and that helped me be invested in the movie. Scott Mann has made a film that will keep viewers engaged from these two points of view. It’s an edge-of-your-seat nail-biter for an hour and a half.
3 1/2 stars
Dan Skip Allen
Sean Borlman Foinder/EIC disappointment media
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