By Sean Frank
Before I start, I want to say that there will be spoilers. I highly recommend watching the film before reading this. With that out of the way, The Fall (2006) by Tarsem is a passion project that is well worth any film enthusiast’s time. I remember seeing the trailer online. The visuals and music were dazzling. Bold colors and careful composition caught my eye and the trailer hinted at a story that would tug at my heartstrings.
The trailer represented the film well, which was as stylish and emotional as I expected. The closest theater that I could find playing it was an hour and a half away. It was just about empty. This hinted at the film’s financial performance, which, according to BoxOfficeMojo, was a total worldwide box office take of $3,669,425. With a RottenTomato critic score of 61%, it was well received, but not exceedingly so. This is a shame but makes sense. There is no neat genre to fit this film into. It contains fantastical elements but it is not a fantasy. There is action, but it has no consequence. Instead, The Fall is about the stories we tell and the perspectives that shape them.
Before I move on to the plot, here are a few facts about the production. According to the back of the DVD case, The Fall was shot over a time frame of 4 years in 18 countries. It is also revealed on the disc that Tarsem financed much of the film’s cost, using money he had made on high-end commercials. This is impressive but not shocking. The vast amount of locations hints at a unique and immense undertaking. The fact that they are all real-world locales also creates a subtle texture that computer graphics cannot fully replicate.
Watching the film again, I am more convinced than ever that the world Tarsem and his collaborators have created is stunning. It starts in pristine black and white as the accident hinted in the film’s title occurs. It is a 1920’s movie shoot and stuntman Roy hurts himself critically. This is shown in ultra-slow motion and draws me in immediately, even though what is occurring is not crystal clear. The film transitions to vivid color when he is taken to a sunlight dappled California hospital. It is here where we meet young Alexandria. Her perspective is shown throughout. From an upside down shadow of a horse to the imposing wardrobe of an x-ray tech, these represent small details that become important later on.
The scope of the film opens up once Roy, stricken to his hospital bed, meets young Alexandria. He decides to tell her a story about the Masked Bandit and his five allies in a quest for revenge on the evil Governor Odious. The fantastical story includes both their perspectives. The villainous Odious is based on a movie star currently dating a woman Roy loves. Odious’s henchmen wear an outfit similar to the x-ray tech’s wardrobe, which frightens Alexandria. Roy has an ulterior motive though, as he tells Alexandria he needs “medicine” so he can sleep and finish the story. This medicine is morphine and Roy is looking for enough to close his eyes forever.
As the story Roy tells progresses, we are shown images that are hard to believe. The scale of the desert is used to full effect as Alexandria the Great (One of the Masked Bandit’s five allies) is seen in a wide shot, riding on his horse. He looks minuscule compared to the mountain of sand behind him. Another wide shot presents a large town with most of the houses painted blue, making them pop vividly off the screen. The vast amount of locations is also incorporated in a sequence of them traveling, as the Pyramids, Great Wall of China, & even Eiffel Tower flash by.
There is no set time-line for Roy’s story or even much logic. The Masked Bandit and his allies are thinly fleshed out. For me, it works though. These characters help illuminate Alexandria and Roy’s perspectives. As Roy tells his story to Alexandria, his depression lays itself bare. One startling sequence has the Masked Bandit’s twin brother lying dead next to a massive sheet, half covered in bright red blood. Since the Masked Bandit is really Roy, this must be how he sees himself; half broken & half alive.
Roy’s hopelessness comes pouring out during the final scenes. Alexandria hurts herself trying to get him “medicine”. She awakes, her head covered in gauze, to a drunken Roy at her bedside. He reluctantly finishes the story for her. Director Tarsem creates beauty out of the grim spectacle here as the Masked Bandit’s allies are killed. One falls back on a bed of arrows. Birds fly out of the mouth of another as he is slaughtered. In shock over the turn of events, Alexandria asks Roy “Why are you making everybody die"? Roy replies, “It’s my story” to which she quickly utters, “Mine too”. This reinforces the theme of how we shape stories and stories shape us. Roy isn’t alone on this journey. None of us are.
Roy realizes he isn’t alone when he tries to kill the Masked Bandit, as he somberly utters, “So he sank to the bottom of the pool. He didn’t even try to swim”. Alexandria relents to this turn of events, as she exclaims, “Get up and fight…..I Don’t want you to die. Don’t kill him. Let him live.” At this point they finally understand each other’s perspectives. Most importantly, Roy understands it’s not just his story and lets the Masked Bandit live. The film closes with Alexandria out of the hospital, with her family, as she recounts seeing Roy at work on the silver screen, performing his stunts.
On the surface, The Fall looks like a stunt, filmed over 4 years with highly stylized visuals and a high-concept plot. At its heart though it is about how we see and how we tell our stories. Sure, they don’t involve Masked Bandits or Villainous Governors, but the stakes can seem just as insurmountable. It is when we listen to who we are sharing our stories with, that we gain perspective, that we cushion our fall.
Comments