NetFlix This >> The Fall
Possibly my second favorite movie (after Amelie), this movie is so incredibly rich, both technically and emotionally. Roger Ebert called it “one of the most extraordinary films I’ve ever seen.”
Directed by Tarsem Singh and “presented by” Spike Jonze, the film was shot in 24 countries over 4 years. Tarsem, who has made his career as a sought-after commercial directer, used his own money to produce it. In addition, when was asked to shoot somewhere on-location for a commercial, he leveraged his desirability by asking that added to his contract would be an allowance of extra time on-site and all the resources of the commercial shoot to work on The Fall while there.
The result is a film filled with stunning visuals, due to both the mind-blowing locations (they are all real!!) and the art direction. But the cinematography is not all the movie has to offer; it is also an example of wonderful storytelling, of the sort where one character tells the story with another imagining it, a la The Princess Bride (remember the grandfather telling the grandson the story in bed at night?), and Tarsem perfectly evokes the feeling of what it was like as a child to drift into the vivid imaginary land of a story while being read to.
Also, the little girl who is hearing the story is downright adorable, which is not surprising considering Tarsem did a worldwide search to find the perfect girl to play her (they found her in Romania), and her relationship with Roy (Lee Pace), who is telling the story, is incredibly realistic and poignant.
(I have no idea where this incredible place is, but it’s real! And they shot there! See 1:48 in the trailer.)
Do yourself a favor and check out this movie — on as large a screen as you can find, for full appreciation of the visuals — and remember what it was like to get lost in an imaginary land.
