FALL

US, 2022, 117 minutes, Colour.

Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Jeffrey Morgan.

Directed by Scott Mann.

A necessary caution. And it is those who are vertiginously inclined, are afraid of heights, agoraphobic… As the title indicates, in a film about climbers, there is always the possibility of a fall. And, this is a film definitely about climbers, opening with them on bare high rock faces, but the main focus is on two young women, deciding to climb a 2000 feet high television tower out in the desert. So, audience identifying with the enthusiastic daring of the young women, and enjoy climbing, this is your film.

One of the intriguing aspects to observe while watching is how you put together a film about climbing, dangers, missteps, bolts coming loose in fittings, aerial shots, close-ups, editing and reactions, all the techniques to make the audience feel they are doing the climbing as well as surviving at the top of the tower.

And, the way that the filmmakers keep our interest is, of course, introducing the human elements, the relationship between the two girls, the husband of one of them, the anxious father who disapproved of the marriage, difficulties and the different ways of coping, drinking to forget, or just getting out there and facing the reality. Which means then that in the background of the climbing is a great deal of sentiment with touches of melodrama.

Back in the old days of the 20^th century, with the Saturday matinee programs, there were the serials, and episode every week, each one ending with what was called a “cliffhanger”. And, this is how the drama works in Fall. One after the other, the young women are challenged by all kinds of difficulties, testing their ingenuity, possible solutions, the excitement of trying out each solution and the dismay when all of them, all of them, fail. Which means that along with identifying with the climbers, we are identifying with the situations and experiencing the cliffhangers. (And they range from a bag with water dropping, circling vultures, two men who actually steal the climbers car, phones, a flair, a drone, and vivid hallucinations.)

So, a film of some vicarious thrills but also the best part of two hours and plenty of potential for acrophobia.

1. The title? Daniel’s accident, his fall? The consequences? The climbing of the town, the challenge, the dangers, the consequences?
2. Locations, the mountains, vast peaks, vast mountain faces? The desert, the tower, the physicality of the tower, climbing inside, climbing outside, the dish spaces, the top? The musical score?
3. The introduction to Becky and Hunter, to Daniel? Becky, the cremation and the ashes, her drinking, almost a year passing, the challenge from her father and her disdain? The arrival of Hunter, and the challenge to climb the tower, reluctance, Becky and her nightmares with Daniel, her decision to climb?
4. Hunter, outgoing personality, risks, self-confidence, power of persuasion? The past relationship with Becky? Travelling, the motel, the information? Going through the warning gate? Walking, the plan for the climb?
5. Audiences identifying with the climbers, or not? The filming of the climb, looking up, looking down, looking across the desert, editing, pace, the difficulties, physical, rungs coming loose and falling? Becky, apprehensive? Hunter urging her on? Eventually getting to the top, the sense of achievement, for Becky a sense of relief?
6. The fact of climbing, no contact with the authorities, security…?
7. The beginning of the climb down, the rungs getting loose, the whole ladder falling? The reaction?
8. Stranded on the top of the tower, the reaction of each young woman, Hunter and her optimism, Becky and her being overcome? The attempted various solutions, the cliffhangers? The bag with the water, its falling, Hunter going down, the rope, swinging, putting the water on the rope, Becky hauling it up, Hunter climbing up? The background of seeing the buzzards with the dead animal, the vultures flying around, their eventual attacks and brutality? The exhilaration of filming the achievement, on the phones, with the drone? The phones not working, putting one in the shoe and hurling it down? Recharging the batteries of the drone, Becky climbing to the top, the vulture attacks? Sending the drone, with the message, its almost succeeding, the truck hitting it? Seeing the man at the bottom, getting their retention, the flare, there are ignoring it, stealing the car? The days passing? Hopes of rescue?
9. Becky, the hallucinations? The discovery of Hunter’s fall? The birds? Becky getting her courage, the message on her phone, climbing down and getting the phone into Hunter’s body, pushing it over?
10. Becky’s father, concern, getting the message, hurrying to the site, seeing the body put in the ambulance? Reunited with Becky?
11. Conventional story lines as a background for the climb, survival at the top, rescue?