Fall (2022)

Written by CinemaSerf on September 4, 2022

Right. First things first. Understood that you erect a 2000ft television relay tower back in the day, but when that industry moves to satellite delivery, why on Earth would anyone just leave this gradually rusting structure standing - only for it to come crashing down one day when the metal fatigue has won out? Hmmm! Anyway, luckily for us the planner's ineptitude allowed for "Becky" (Grace Caroline Currey) and her friend "Hunter" (Virginia Gardner) to go climb it. It's quite a big deal for the former woman - she had been free-climbing almost one year earlier with her friend and her husband "Dan" (Mason Gooding) when disaster struck and she has spent much of the intervening period married to Jack Daniels. Scorning any sensible planning - food, gloves etc. up they go - there is a ladder - and are soon at the top surveying the immensity of the view. Time to go down, the ladder gives way. The two are lucky to have the platform right at the top to take refuge on, but their bag - water and drone contained within - falls 50 feet and balances precariously on a redundant satellite dish below. What's to do? The plot really does take a quite cynical turn when they fire a flare to attract the attention of some men in a nearby camper van, only for the guys to spot them and then proceed to steal their car! Otherwise, this is really just a remarkable feat of photography that certainly had my palms sweating. Director Scott Mann and the cinematographer (MacGregor) do manage to effectively draw us into the two friend's predicament and if you are even vaguely acrophobic, then this film can be a really tough watch at times. Sadly, though, in the search for characterisation we discover that even at altitude, there is a place for a rather tiresome melodrama. Thereafter it is quite difficult to warm to either of the women who are being harried by some hungry buzzards as they perch! The ending is not good. To be fair, it isn't straightforward either, it has a few quirks to keep us on our toes - but they are not terribly realistic quirks. Enjoy is not the correct word for this film - I cannot say I was too relaxed for much of my time in the cinema tonight, but if this is to be seen at all, then it does need that big screen. On television it will lose much of it's photographic impact and that really is all this film is worth watching for - the acting and repetitive "Are you OK?" dialogue leaves much to be desired.