fear the birds

The Movie Journal is a compilation of notes and opinions of films that have been viewed by the birds. They aren’t necessarily reviews, but they definitely shed some light on what our contributors think of the mentioned piece of cinema.

THE FALL
Dir. Tarsem Singh (2006 / 2007)
IMDB IT….
WATCH THE TRAILER….
In a hospital on the outskirts of 1920s Los Angeles, an injured stuntman (Pace) begins to tell a fellow patient, a little girl with a broken arm (Untaru), a fantastical story about 5 mythical heroes. Thanks to his fractured state of mind and her vivid imagination, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur as the tale advances.

Since the first time I saw the trailer for The Fall almost about a year ago, I’ve wanted to see it ever since. Needless to say, I had high hopes when I finally got the chance to see it a few days ago.

Unfortunately, the situation was a little less than accommodating. A lady, most likely homeless, joined my mom and I at the nine fifty screening of the film. She smelled like fish. The vagina kind. As if she hadn’t washed her ladyparts for at least a few months, or probably more. The German yuppies that sat behind us swore a lot when they realized that the lady was sitting behind them. They muttered as the film starts.

The Fall is a great accomplishment in visual filmmaking. The movie was fucking beautiful. The surrealist film started strong (an opening sequence that got right into the backstory of one of the protagonist) and maintained its poetic virtuoso visuals throughout. Tarsem’s vision was executed so vividly, that it’d sweep you off your feet right away. It’d even make you feel bad for blinking.

I read a review on TONY(Time Out New York) which mentioned how Tarsem is more of a visualist than a director. After finally seeing the film, I have to agree.

The film’s imageries were breath taking. You could freeze a frame, blow it up big and have it up as mural on some famous building somewhere, and people would go Oooh Aaah over it. But I felt, the narrative of the film fell a bit short.

The film’s basic premise is intriguing. I really got into it during the first half of the film. I thought the hints of the ‘other world’ seeping into the real world, and how Tarsem establishes Alexandria’s (Catinca Untaru) perspective was just wonderful. You continue to be bombarded with these great images as the film progresses, but then the story gets a bit sloppy.

I felt that Tarsem allowed too much of the young lead’s child like charms seep into the film. Furthermore, what felt like improv moments from Catinca often interrupt the film’s sweeping emotions. This hiccup happens throughout the film, and I found it to be a little annoying. I simply think that movie would have more of an impact if we had spent a little more time with our Roy Walker (Lee Pace). Some of the most emotional moments felt as if they were cut short to accommodate either more Catinca’s googly wooglies, or pretty shots.
What’s even more disappointing though is the climax of the film. How all the interesting characters died felt a bit rushed. There had always been this lead up in the film, to a big tragedy or sort. But when the tragedy actually occurred on screen, it simply felt like it was happening too fast, too… googly woogly. I guess the movie would be a little too long for a theatrical release, if Roy’s breakdown was spread through a longer period of time.

I still think it’s a great film, but I guess I had too high of an expectation. Tarsem’s stubborn decision to shoot everything on location really paid off. The actors’ performances and chemistry were genuine. The premise, the overall theme of the story was intriguing. But I walked out of the theater, pleased and at the same disappointed. I wanted Tarsem to sweep me off my feet and never let me down, but instead he handed me a parachute. I descended with a grin on my face, but as I landed I realized that I’d rather join him in the space shuttle than be down here.