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The Fall — movie review

by Kris ⋅ June 26, 2008 ⋅ Comment now ⋅ Subscribe RSS

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dreamlogic.net's MOVIE REVIEW The Fall

Director: Tarsem Singh
Starring: Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru
Genre: Comedy, Curious, Fantasy

I fell for The Fall. Hard.

And it’s not just the voluptuous visuals, although Tarsem and Director of Photography Colin Watkinson supply one sumptuous scene after another, with upshots of a swimming elephant, an M.C. Escher staircase grid o’ closing enemies, swishing swirling clergymen skirts, and a 14-story vertical capillary wicking scrim (pic below) that’s part Christo, part science project and completely breathtaking. It was also genius to include Fatehpur Sikri, featuring (and obliterating) the Hall of Private Audience, and the amazing Buland Darwaza gateway (as seen in the shoot ‘em up part of the trailer), a sight one could even remember in a drowsy Architecture History class, apparently.

The only thing I am not sold on is an odd insert of a Brothers Quay type animation near the end, and that The Fall is strongly based on the 1981 Bulgarian film Yo Ho Ho, with some serious mapping and overlapping going on. Of course the word “original” is lost in filmmaking vernacular today, but if anyone could make something truly unique, it’d be Tarsem.

So this is “Tarsem Lite”, trim and taut, edited and refined to a tee. The polish comes as no surprise; he had 10 years of planning/location scouting, then another four years of shooting. Of course The Fall is predictably filled with perfectly sculpted desert expanses, reflective surfaces, gorgeous near and far angles (how many cameramen/takes were there?), oh and horses, horses, but it has something not many people associate with Tarsem’s work, and what The Cell was sorely lacking: warmth. The Fall deftly achieves it through almost non-stop humor and through a magical, adorable little girl.

Catinca Untaru (so malleable she adopted an Indian slur from Tarsem on set, causing a 10-day production suspension in order for her family to coax her native Romanian accent back) barely spoke a lick of English when she was cast as Alexandria, a five-year old migrant laborer who fell and broke her arm in the L.A. orange orchards, the all-important wide-eyed catalyst. With her pursed pauses, gapped grin and natural naïveté, Untaru effortlessly exudes realistic confusion, fear, selfishness, and delightment. In fact, Untaru’s unscripted quips and retorts were incorporated serendipitously, as when she lost her two front teeth or when she disagreed with the Lead’s storytelling skills.

dreamlogic.net's MOVIE REVIEW The Fall Lead Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) isn’t much to look at at first, with his crooked nose and caterpillar eyebrows, disheveled hair and pajamas, held captive by his hospital cot, paralyzed by his injury and his broken heart. With his deep yet pinched voice, Pace as Roy Walker (ironic name as he cannot move his legs), silent-film stuntman gone suicidal after his sweetheart dumped him, attempts to manipulate Alexandria into fetching him lethal substances, as he pretends to befriend her/captivate her with an adventurous revenge tale starring her late father.

As the story progresses, however, Roy is projected as the leading man, the masked Black Bandit, revealing his 6′3″ frame and unassuming broad shoulders and deltoids, making you understand why Eiko Ishioka is an Academy Award winning costume designer. Amazing what a little eyeliner and a slouch hat can do. It appears they also deftly dyed the actor’s normally sandy blonde locks a deep chestnut for the hospital scenes, enforcing the sweet dork next door look, like a Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko days) meets PeeWee Herman.

In Wizard of Oz fashion, Alexandria incorporates people from the hospital into her visualization, and we’re treated to little hints as the film wavers from reality and fantasy. Alexandria’s confidant nurse becomes the princess-type Lady Evelyn, vapidly evoking the overdramatic swoons of a silent film actress, perfectly befitting a young girl’s interpretation of romance. The creepy helmet and hand-guards of the hospital’s x-ray technician are translated to shroud the villainous army, whose utterances sounded like the bipedal beasts from Phantasy Star Online. She mistakes an Indian/Native American character for someone from India, even when the term “squaw” frequently accompanies his niche. Brilliant.

Stunning storytelling aside, I love the fact that Alexandria and Roy are quite mirrored. Both hold occupations that are societal oversights, perhaps leading to an inner sanctum of projected responsibilities and pain. A little girl in desperate subconscious search of a father figure craves companionship. And a man whose career is based on being fearless is afraid of being alone. Loneliness brought them together. The Fall is a definite must see!