Jan. 4, 2010 at 12:32pm The Fall (2006)

A visual spectacle and no subtitles!

I am making an exception to my usual practice, and writing a review of this movie even though there is not a copy in this library at the moment. I will order it as soon as I can, but I was so taken with the film, I needed to watch it again and talk about it NOW!  The Fall (2008) has both avid supporters and ardent critics, but if you are willing to slow down and pay attention to the film, I think you will be richly rewarded.

The bare bones of the story are on the back of the DVD case. It begins during the 1920's near Los Angeles. A young immigrant girl is in the hospital recovering from a fall while picking oranges. She meets and befriends a fellow patient who regales her with spectacular tales of far away places. The people around the hospital become characters in this wild tale that is concocted between the two of them.

Part of the attraction to this film is the gorgeous visuals. Even the scenes in the hospital have a great richness to them. The scenes of the story as Roy narrates from his imagination are lush and inviting as the epic tale unfolds. In comparison, I just saw Avatar in 3-D this past weekend. As technologically amazing as that film was, I would rather watch The Fall over again than watch Avatar again.

The story Roy tells morphs over time as the relationship between Alexandria and Roy changes. At first he tells the story out of boredom, later as a tool to manipulate Alexandria to steal morphine for him, and finally he twists the story into one of awful tragedy to spew out the pain and guilt he feels.

This is the kind of film that I would get for my friends or family as a gift and watch again myself.