Synopsis: For best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter’s expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights in this adrenaline-fuelled thriller co-starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Director: Scott Mann
Stars: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Many people have acrophobia, a mental health condition where the individual experiences an intense fear of heights. For many years I thought I was one of those people, but I suffer from basophobia, the fear of falling. I am fine in high, confined places, but anxiety steps in when the threat of falling is present.
I could not hang out with the main characters from this movie, but I enjoyed being along for the ride . . . from the confines of ground level.
Fall is the most recent film from Scott Mann, and it stars Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner. They play Becky and Hunter, best friends who love climbing mountains. Clinging to the side of a mountain is as comfortable for them as launch day at the Apple store is for me. They don’t give it a second thought. However, Becky decides to step away from the sport after a climbing tragedy.
Becky is grieving and has been for some time. Her father, played by my favourite The Walking Dead actor, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is trying to be there for his daughter, but she keeps shutting him out.
Hunter, who is very focused on social media fame and is all about the ‘likes,’ shows up with an idea. The two will climb an abandoned radio tower. Oh, and this radio tower just happens to be 2000 feet tall. Gulp!
They do the climb, but wouldn’t you know, the ladder breaks off, and now our best friends are stuck up the tower, with seemingly no way down.
The cinematographer of this film, MacGregor, has shot a beautiful film. Not since Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk have I felt such an intense sensation watching a movie that is so high up. It’s quite an immersive experience for the audience. Fortunately, my basophobia didn’t kick in.
I can’t help but compare Fall to Phone Booth. Fall is largely carried by Currey and Gardner, much like Phone Booth was carried by Colin Farrell.
The performances of our two leads are strong. What would you do in that situation? Most people will respond: “I wouldn’t be in that situation, Keith,” but for two people accustomed to climbing mountains, going up a tower isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s part is small. I appreciated that he didn’t overshadow the two protagonists but lent just enough to the film to be enjoyed.
The movie is from the producers of 47 Meters Down, a film that followed two young women shark diving who were left stranded at the bottom of the ocean. The two women in Fall are stranded in the opposite direction. My main pain point is that it is essentially the same movie. If I hadn't seen 47 Meters Down or had it not been advertised, that would have been one thing, but it was, and this movie is practically a carbon copy of 47 Meters Down.
That being said, many movies do not need to be seen in the theatre, but this film belongs on the small list of those that do. The tower's shots need to be experienced on a theatrical screen — this is a beautifully shot film.
Movies, and quite frankly life, are quick to pit people against each other in the name of survival, but what happens when you need to rely on each other to survive? While many people won’t find themselves in this situation, it was fascinating watching Becky and Hunter attempt to navigate through it.
The film is believable and terrifying and offers something different than what’s playing in the next theatre. The women are survivors with great instincts that come from their history of climbing. Some in that situation would simply have the ‘well, I’m screwed’ mentality, but they have the ‘ok, let’s think this through’ headspace. But there is only so much you can do at 2000 feet.
Overall, Fall is an enjoyable ride that will be appreciated by those who haven't seen 47 Meters Down. Unfortunately, I did.
Grade: C+
Watch the movie trailer:
