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The Falling follows two friends, Abbie and Lydia (Florence Pugh and Maisie Williams), at a strict English girls' school. The two have developed what others see as an unhealthy relationship. When tragedy hits the two friends, Lydia and some of her friends start suffering from frequent fainting episodes that seem to confuse and agitate other members of the school, as well as the strict faculty.
I stumbled upon this film on VUDU while browsing for this category, and I was surprised I had never heard of it, considering it stars two relatively hot stars (Pugh after Midsommar and Little Women, Williams after Game of Thrones), but after watching it, I kinda get why it might be ignored. The film is a bit of a mess, which is a shame, cause most of its pieces are in the right place, but the story needed a bit of polishing.
The thing is that the story is all over the place. There's the "unhealthy" relationship between Abbie and Lydia, then the mysterious fainting episodes, and its effect among the classmates and the school overall. There's also some family issues at Lydia's house that are just brushed over during the first half, only to take full prominence in the second half. Finally, there is an incestuous relationship that I fail to see why it was necessary, but there it is.
Another issue with this might be the marketing. The poster and images make it seem as if it was some eerie supernatural thriller of sorts, when it is more of a slow-paced drama. Add this to all of the issues I mentioned above, and you might say there's something seriously wrong with it, which might explain why everyone is "ignoring" it.
Still, it's a surprise that the end result still ends up being relatively competent. Morley's script might be an issue, but her direction and the cinematography from Agnes Godard are pretty great. Also, all of the performances, but especially Pugh and Williams, are great. I still don't think the film had to jump through all the hoops it did to get where it ended at, but it might be worth a watch for fans of Pugh or Williams.
Grade:
THE FALLING
(2014, Morley)
A film with the word "Fall" in its title
(2014, Morley)
A film with the word "Fall" in its title
"It's real to all of us. Something's seriously wrong. Why is everyone ignoring us?"
The Falling follows two friends, Abbie and Lydia (Florence Pugh and Maisie Williams), at a strict English girls' school. The two have developed what others see as an unhealthy relationship. When tragedy hits the two friends, Lydia and some of her friends start suffering from frequent fainting episodes that seem to confuse and agitate other members of the school, as well as the strict faculty.
I stumbled upon this film on VUDU while browsing for this category, and I was surprised I had never heard of it, considering it stars two relatively hot stars (Pugh after Midsommar and Little Women, Williams after Game of Thrones), but after watching it, I kinda get why it might be ignored. The film is a bit of a mess, which is a shame, cause most of its pieces are in the right place, but the story needed a bit of polishing.
The thing is that the story is all over the place. There's the "unhealthy" relationship between Abbie and Lydia, then the mysterious fainting episodes, and its effect among the classmates and the school overall. There's also some family issues at Lydia's house that are just brushed over during the first half, only to take full prominence in the second half. Finally, there is an incestuous relationship that I fail to see why it was necessary, but there it is.
Another issue with this might be the marketing. The poster and images make it seem as if it was some eerie supernatural thriller of sorts, when it is more of a slow-paced drama. Add this to all of the issues I mentioned above, and you might say there's something seriously wrong with it, which might explain why everyone is "ignoring" it.
Still, it's a surprise that the end result still ends up being relatively competent. Morley's script might be an issue, but her direction and the cinematography from Agnes Godard are pretty great. Also, all of the performances, but especially Pugh and Williams, are great. I still don't think the film had to jump through all the hoops it did to get where it ended at, but it might be worth a watch for fans of Pugh or Williams.
Grade: