The Fall

Pan's Labyrinth-like visuals - del Toro creepiness + Lee Pace x 2 storylines = a glorious mess

I wanted to see this movie since I saw the trailer on Apple.com trailers months ago. Then it gets a very select release, which did not include Austin or Houston. Then it comes to the indie-theater in Austin and promptly gets slammed in the paper. Then, no one will go see it with me. So I went by myself. I liked the movie, but it is deeply, almost superbly flawed.

In fact, I feel like I need to see the movie again to try to understand it. I'm already looking forward to the DVD (but I will have to wait...some more...until Sept.) so that I can hear what the director has to say for himself. I've heard interesting rumors, like he piggy-backed filming this one on the backs of other, higher budget pictures, and that he allowed the 5 year-old star ad lib a lot. Those two facts kind of explain the dis-jointedness of the plot(s). I don't always have to understand what is going on (ex: Stay, a pretty stinky movie, but worth seeing once, for free. However, I do not understand what is so great about Mulholland Dr.) and the storytelling doesn't always have to be linear (ex: Pulp Fiction is a classic), and I can handle two plotlines simultaneously (I read Robert Jordan), but this topped all of that with a generous dollop of confusion. It is Tarsem's pet project; the one he sweated over for years. For his sake, I wish that this movie was slated for more box-office success, but sadly it doesn't live up to the promise of the intriguing trailer.

I will admit that it was pretty charming to have the story be re-written on the screen as it went--this happens in storytelling. Also as with real life, the inaccuracy of the teller is revealed (men from India don't have "squaws") and I like the movie a little bit more for that, even if it is tough to overlook at first.
All in all, it was a gorgeous exercise in cinema. The visuals in the film were stunning and are worth going for. I adore watching Lee Pace, with eye-liner and a mask or without, so I showed up for that reason. The movie was pretty much free for me, so I had nothing but time to lose, and I think it was well-spent for all of the movie's flaws. I would not suggest that other people spend the money to see it in the theater (unless they'd like to support said indie theater, because we need to have them around to cleanse our palates after gorging on huge mainstream movies); best to wait for video on this one, folks. I don't think most people would like the movie, but if you can be patient enough to let the story unfold, it is a rough-cut gem of a film. The biggest plus (in my opinion) was that it was not as dark and plain yucky as Pan's Labyrinth; that is a movie that was a waste of time. Storytelling movies like P's L and Big Fish were let-downs for me, while The Fall and Secondhand Lions were not.

One of these days, the perfect yarn of a movie will come along, but this is not it.