In an age where every movie seems to end with the girl getting the guy, the gang shooting proving fatal and the good guy always winning the car chase, I’ve become desperate for creative filming. With this in mind, I generally consider most modern films to not be worth the time, yet I recently came across a film from 2006 that seemed to defy common storylines and held my attention from beginning to end.
Tarsem Singh’s move “The Fall,” starring Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, and Justine Waddell, left me astounded with its visual cinematic charm, and its expertise in regards to acting. The movie tells the story of the budding friendship between an injured stuntman and a girl with a broken arm. They are both in a hospital, and the boy tells her a fantastical story about five heroes embarking on a mission together.
Fantasy and reality begin to merge in their minds as the story progresses and becomes more personal. Despite the film’s existence for six years, it has surprisingly passed under the radar and continues unseen and unknown, which I believe to be an utter shame. Singh used thoughtful and innovative tactics in his directing that made his film honest and ring with success.
I was originally drawn to the film once I saw movie still of the film which boast of visual pleasure in regards to color and scenery. The movie was filmed in more than 20 countries, including Brazil, India, Indonesia, Egypt and Fiji. This creates an imaginary world where a scene that leaves one breathless is around every corner.
The film definitely would fall under the title of fantasy or surrealism, yet there were no special effects in the movie. Everything was real and filmed on location. When directing, Singh had the lead actor, Lee Pace, remain bedridden for much of the filming to convince the rest of the staff and actors he truly was a paraplegic similar to his character in the script.
This led for believability in regards to his interactions with child actress Catinca Untaru. Many of the scenes in which they interact together were unscripted and thus are sensational. Untaru was one of the first child actresses I have seen who I could believe and who was pure in regards to her acting, which apparently wasn’t acting after all.
“The Fall” is a movie I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys movies that takes one to another world full of fantasy and adventure with a hint of a darker edge. The movie is noted for its brilliant cinematic filming and Singh’s unparalleled imagination.
