I liked the twist at the end...it was a clever and unique twist, however the journey to get there was a painful one. A storyline like this needs more finesse, better actors, intricate detailing etc. This film did not posses those qualities unfortunately. A shame as it had such potential.
The Free Fall
2021
Action / Drama / Horror / Mystery
The Free Fall
2021
Action / Drama / Horror / Mystery
Plot summary
After attempting to take her own life, a young woman must wrestle with an overbearing husband.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
My score is mainly for the twist
Top-Notch Effective Horror Thriller
"The Free Fall" is a really well done horror thriller that delivers the goods. The movie starts with a bang, as Sara (played by Andrea Londo) goes to her parents house to help them celebrate their anniversary only to be greeted by a horrific scene. Next time we see her, she is in bed recovering from a suicide attempt. She has lost most of her memory due to the traumatic events of her life (including the suicide attempt) and her husband Nick (Shawn Ashmore) tries to help her recover her life and memory. He starts reminding her of their life and explaining the events that unfolded after the events at the beginning of the movie caused her to spiral out of control. Sara starts feeling better, but as time goes on, she starts to get flashes of memories, she sees and hears things that she is assured aren't there and she starts to get the feeling something is just off...
Look, this is a horror film. So we know from the outset this isn't going to end up with Sara simply regaining her memory and living happily ever after. The movie knows we know that, too, and cleverly plays with our expectations. Nick does something that makes us say, "Aha! He's the bad guy!" and then he does something that makes us say, "Oh, maybe not. He seems to be the good guy." There is a housekeeper named Rose who acts weird and we think we know what's going on, and then we think that maybe it's all in Sara's head and Rose was acting fine. And I gotta admit -- the denouement took me by surprise. I've seen a LOT of horror movies so to have one make me say, "Whoa! I didn't see that coming!" is really saying something.
In addition, the lead performance help drive the movie. Andrea Londo makes Sara truly likable, vulnerable, and easy to root for. And Shawn Ashmore does a wonderful job of making Nick just suspicious enough to make us worry about him, and caring enough for us to sort of feel guilty for suspecting him. And unlike many low budget films, it is well lit, well filmed, and only a couple of minor places where the sound mix makes it hard to hear.
All in all, "The Free Fall" gets a pretty high recommendation from me. Definitely worth checking out.
Apples and roses
A woman visits her parents' house to celebrate them retaking their marriage vows, but finds that's not the only ritual on the menu.
Trippy, fractured story with stylish symbolism that kept me on my toes to the end. The opening shot carefully lays a trail of clues - not least a word in capital letters - so I knew to keep questioning what was coming at me. There's plenty of mirror-trickery to raise doubts not just about what's going on but also about who the heroine really is, and the broken up sequence of events keeps everything in confusion.
The risk with trippy story-telling is that it leaves the audience stumbling about until we stub our toe and say, Enough. So I was kinda fatigued by the halfway mark, but then the prospect of a dramatic set-piece was introduced and my attention perked up. Was it worth it? Well, I think the end broke off prematurely, probably because the writer had no good idea what the whole thing was about. I certainly didn't get the sense of all the mysteries in the puzzle locking together to reveal a genuine human experience.
The performances are good, and the editing keeps up a decent pace. The camera work dwelled a lot on mirrors, and was otherwise unremarkable. The original score caught my attention with the accordions in the dance scene, but was never switched off and proved distracting in several scenes where the actors were face to face.
It is an unusual take on this sub-genre of horror, but not as engaging as Grace (2014),and I feel the stilted mood of the set-piece reflected a lack of heart in the writing.
Overall: Intriguing but not so engaging.