Please note it’s a Film only review

Subscribing to film channels was the best choice I made, especially when having sleepless nights or when my sister’s kids are around! I needed something to take my mind away, so Fantasy and Science Fiction films are always on the top of my favourite film category. It stimulates the imagination with superfluous actions and changeable stories. One of those films that I will never forget was The Fall (a 2008 production).

THE FALL is one of the most mysterious, but incredibly engaging and amusing, films that I have ever watched.

It’s not surprising when a child muddles up realism with imagination, it’s a part of the growing-up process . . . we all are knowledgeable that a child should have a vivid imagination but what if that child with such glowing and flamboyant thoughts meets up with an artistic young man and their meeting up point was the hospital? They will definitely rule the world!

That is what our story is all about . . . still confused? You should read on ONLY if you have an open mind and a wild imagination to carry on reading!

Once upon a time, in the early years of the 20th century probably in the 1920’s in Los Angeles . . . (the story begins).

A young Romanian little girl named Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) who used to work in some local orchards with her family picking up oranges had fallen down while doing her everyday chore; she was rushed to the hospital with a broken arm. While recovering in the hospital she bumped into Roy Walker (Lee Pace) a young man who used to work as a Hollywood stuntman. He had had a terribly tragic accident when he tried to show off and impress his girl friend! Unfortunately he ended up at the hospital paralyzed from the waist down and his girl whom he had tried to impress had left him and walked away from him with the movie star Sinclair . . . leaving him paralyzed and heartbroken at the same time!

Trying to get rid of his miserable life and thinking of suicide Roy was waiting for the right moment to come!

Bit by bit Roy befriends Alexandria and after

few chats, he set sights on her to use her to fulfil his own interests. The naive five-year-old girl didn’t know his intentions; she actually found him kind-hearted and sincere or maybe she found her long lost dad in him.

He started by telling her a made up but amazing story (and from here the story of the film begins)

He is a Hollywood stuntman; he had acted in so many films that he had the ability and the imagination to spin her an epic yarn, and he managed to attract her attention by bewitching her with his magical tale from outside their world!

Six brave men with special traits and different chronicles have one thing in common: their hatred for one and only person who had committed an offensive deed towards them: his name was Odious (which name means nasty, disgusting or hateful!).

The little girl tuned in and started to ask him questions about these heroes . . .
Roy’s imagination started to kick in . . . and Alexandria helped him by merging the imagination with reality; she puts each name to a face - all her story characters were from the hospital, either staff or patients; she starts to get involved in the story . . . she decides she is his daughter from another marriage!

There was no surprise that he had chosen the actor Sinclair who snatched his girlfriend as Odious. The other six characters were Indian (who is an Indian in real life) – his wife was kidnapped by Odious and killed herself so Indian swore not to look at any woman after her; Otta Benga, who had been enslaved by the evil Odious; Luigi, the Italian explosives expert who had been dismissed by the evil man; Darwin (and his monkey, Wallace) whose rare butterfly Americana Exotica had been crushed and killed by Odious; finally we have the masked hero, Black Bandit (who turned out to be Roy Walker) whose his brother (Blue Bandit) was tortured and hung by Odious. These heroes joined forces with one aim . . . REVENGE!

Hang on . . . that is five! What about the sixth? They surely need a psychic, don’t they? Therefore, the Mystic was the sixth man.

The little girl was wrapped up and captivated inside the magical world, she can add any character she wants; the story was getting very exciting . . . but wait a minute . . .

I’m not going to complete the story until you . . .

Get me my medication! Roy stops at a vital part of the story and refuses to complete it until she gets him his “medication” which was Morphine! He wants it to commit suicide. All this friendship and the made up story for Alexandria was to gain her trust and to trick her into stealing Morphine for him! He used her innocent nature as a child to work for his advantage; the poor girl was eager to help him, thinking that this medication can help him get better…

The story carried on . . . but where is the female touch in this story?

Roy and Alexandra surely won’t have the kiss in the film! Roy wasn’t the honest type but he didn’t have any sexual interest in Alexandria although he was using her but he started to develop a kind of care and fatherly love towards her. . . anyway to get the story a bit of romance according Alexandria’s request, Nurse Evelyn (Justine Waddell) becomes Sister Evelyn. A beginning love was built-up between them but not for long when he discovered her big secret!

More Pills . . . or no story!

The story becomes more complicated and the tale is mixed up between Alexandria’s pure soul and Roy’s hatred of life and living! The virtuousness of the child struggled when the love-heroic fantasy twisted and took another way. . .

My opinion about the story . . .

The film will attract you from the very beginning, as the little girl and Roy develop a relationship . . . both had their reasons to befriend each other. Alexandria wanted an emotional love, a friend; probably looking for the father figure who she surprisingly found in Roy who is emotionally drained, cold and heartbroken, looking for drugs.

They were each looking for something in each other; they both needed each other. . .

The non traditional and unconventional emotional story was very interesting; the characters urged you to continue watching it and with Roy and Alexandra’s ability to twist the actions of the story according to their likings and feelings, it became pleasantly unpredictable, easily drawing the watcher into their world of the supernatural and mystery!

The budget for this film was huge and so were their earnings! It was filmed in 18 most astonishing countries in the world with some breathtaking views!

With such an incredibly high budget, the director preferred to pay for the production for the film to produce it as he sees it. He had chosen 18 different countries in which to film his masterpiece: starting from India, Indonesia (Bali), Italy, France, Spain, Italy, Namibia, China, South Africa (where the hospital was), also some Middle Eastern countries like Egypt and the Maldives as well. Choosing places evergreen like paradise . . . the shots were amazing! I was simply stunned by the location choices and the filming as well; it was all done so professionally.
The director was incredible; he managed to captive the audience’s minds and hearts with this thought-provoking story . . . a Charming story, with thrills, magic and enchantment!

The actors were all brilliant but I salute Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) especially for her English!

This little girl, beside her talent and extraordinary natural acting, managed to memorize all of her role in English despite not being an English speaker before! I admire her for that; I think she did an intriguing job. She was very naive and had that innocent look; she was living her role in the story to the extent that she actually cried . . . and I cried with her!

Roy Walker, who ironically is not a walker anymore!

Lee Pace was the perfect actor for the role. He succeeded in playing the role of the paralysed, down in the dumps, hopelessly heartbroken man; and switching to the absolutely opposite, Black Bandit the hero effortlessly.

He walked again, using his imagination, jumping lightly and freely like a butterfly and that explains the existence of his rare exotic butterfly “Americana Exotica” in his tale.

Unlike his real self, Roy was a charming person as Black Bandit, the unbeatable hero looking for revenge (He couldn’t actually do anything to Sinclair the actor who had taken his girl friend)! In his mind’s eye, he did what he couldn’t do in real life . . . at some points he was running away from his miserable reality to the imaginary land; even Alexandria had become a vital character in his story!

Roy Walker, with his unstable and shaken personality played with the characters the way he liked; he didn’t care about the little girl’s feelings, even when she was very upset and crying while he was playing with the heroes’ destiny! All that he cared about was controlling her to do what he wanted.

The film classification is for 15 years and above. . .

Well, having the 15 years certification means that it’s not for younger viewer but there wasn’t any nudity in the film, nor sex scenes; only some obvious voices for the action, but nothing showing on the screen. The film was pure fantasy and imagination until the last 20 minutes of the film or so when the story took another path, and had that acute twist; we started to see another version, with very disturbing scenes: some frightening, shocking and startling outlooks (so be warned!)

If you are into fantasy, I would highly recommend you seeing The Fall; you will never regret it! Come on Give your brain a kick!

Prices and availability

The film is available on DVD and Blu-Ray; for rent or you can buy it online or on some supermarkets and media stores. Prices started from £4.98-£17.99.

Revenge, love-triangle, magic, death and falling people!

Thank you for reading.

© Karimkha ~~~~ August ~~~~ 2009