The Fall (2006)

All right, I know a lot of people didn't like this but I am a little obsessed with it. It's one of those movies that's filled with a ton of things I love, and features some of the most breathtakingly beautiful visuals I have ever seen on film. Based on the 1981 Bulgarian film Yo Ho Ho, Tarsem's The Fall centers on Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), a young Eastern European girl in the 1920's who's stuck in a hospital after breaking her arm picking oranges. She meets Roy (Lee Pace), a depressed movie stuntman paralyzed after jumping onto a horse off a bridge (stunts were so stupidly dangerous in the 20's!), and takes an instant liking to him because he tells her fantastical stories.

He invents an epic tale about a bandit who seeks revenge on an evil governor with the help of an African former slave, an Indian widower, an Italian explosives expert, a silent mystic, and Charles Darwin, all of whom are portrayed by people seen in the hospital. The film flits back and forth between fantasy and reality, with the story reflective of Alexandria's wild imagination and Roy idealizing the idea of a "bandit" hoping to con her into stealing bottles of morphine so he can kill himself. His romantic problems work their way into his tale in the form of Nurse Evelyn (Justine Waddell), who becomes a princess whom the bandit loves.

The soaring, imaginative visuals alone would be enough for me to love this film. Every shot of the fantasy is colorful, sweeping, and honestly inspiring. It's a jaw-dropping experience, so I'm really glad I was able to see this in theatres (3 times!) when it came out. The performances are great- newcomer Catinca Untaru is absolutely adorable as Alexandria, and completely believable in the role (which doesn't always happen with child actors). Lee Pace, well what can I say... The World's Handsomest Man lays on the charms and the tears in his dual role as Roy and the Bandit. Plus he's got that nice Southern drawl going on. Hang on, I need to sigh wistfully for a second. There we go.

I have heard several negative reviews of this film by people who thought the story was empty and nonsensical, engulfed by the visual stylization. But it's not true! It's really a nuanced and heart-breaking grown-up tale disguised through the lens of a child's imaginative perspective. Everything we see is through her point of view and limited understanding, with little details like Roy's description of an American Indian morphing into a regal man from India allowing viewers to see how Alexandria affects the story in her head. Her gradual realization of Roy's intention comes out in the fantasy before it does in real life. By the end of The Fall, I was wrapped up in both sides of the plot, and wholly invested and moved by the central characters.

4.5/5