The Falling (film)

This article is about the 2014 film starring Maisie Williams. For the 1987 film starring Dennis Christopher, see The Falling.
The Falling

UK release poster
Directed by Carol Morley
Produced by
  • Luc Roeg
  • Cairo Cannon
Screenplay by Carol Morley
Starring
Cinematography Agnes Godard[1]
Production
company
Distributed by Metrodome UK
Release dates
Running time
 102 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Budget £750,000[2]

The Falling is a 2014 drama film written and directed by Carol Morley, starring Maisie Williams and Florence Pugh as best friends at an all-girls school.

Plot

In 1969, Lydia and Abbie are best friends at an English girls school. Lydia, the neglected daughter of an agoraphobic, becomes fixated on Abbie, who has begun to explore her sexuality. When Lydia suffers from a fainting spell, it becomes an epidemic, and she must convince the administration to take action.[3]

Cast

Production

BFI funded the film £750K.[4] Production began in October 2013.[5]

The soundtrack is by Tracey Thorn. Morley asked Thorn to provide the music for the film after editing had begun.[6]

Release

The Falling premiered at the BFI London Film Festival.[7] Metrodome will release the film in the United Kingdom.[8]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 81% of 21 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 7.2/10.[9] Mark Adams of Screen International wrote, "It is a film that will resonate with some but leave others exasperated, but The Falling is certainly a bold film, and one to be admired and appreciated."[10] Guy Lodge of Variety called it "an imperfect but alluring study of psychological contagion that marks an auspicious advance in the field of narrative filmmaking for acclaimed documaker Carol Morley".[11] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a flawed but fascinating period study of female friendship and hysteria".[12] Trevor Johnston of Time Out London rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "Carol Morley shows startling versatility and ambition with this jawdropping mash-up of If and Picnic at Hanging Rock".[13] Mike McCahill of The Daily Telegraph rated it 4/5 stars and called it a continuation of the themes in Nicolas Roeg's Performance and Don't Look Now.[14] Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "Carol Morley's The Falling is beguiling and disturbing, a beautifully made and very subtle affair that combines melodrama, rites of passage and supernatural elements in an utterly intriguing way."[15] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated it 5/5 stars and wrote, "Director Carol Morley has come up with another brilliant and very distinctive feature, about an epidemic of fainting that grips a girls school in the 1960s."[16]

References

  1. ↑ "The Falling". Twitter. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Carol Morley begins The Falling". Cineuropa.org. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Independent Announces Start of Shoot for Carol Morley's Film The Falling". BBC Films. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (21 November 2013). "Get Santa, Bill get £1m from BFI". Screen Daily. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (28 October 2013). "Carol Morley's The Falling underway". Screen Daily. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  6. ↑ The Guardian, 21 April 2015
  7. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (3 September 2014). "Testament of Youth to World Premiere at London Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  8. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (2 September 2014). "Metrodome catches Carol Morley's The Falling". Screen Daily. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Falling (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  10. ↑ Adams, Mark (11 October 2014). "The Falling". Screen International. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Lodge, Guy (17 October 2014). "London Film Review: ‘The Falling’". Variety. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  12. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (13 October 2014). "‘The Falling’: London Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Johnston, Trevor (20 April 2015). "The Falling". Time Out London. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  14. ↑ McCahill, Mike (24 April 2015). "The Falling review: 'potently suggestive'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  15. ↑ Macnab, Geoffrey (24 April 2015). "The Falling, film review: Maisie Williams is top of the class for melodrama and mystery". The Independent. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "The Falling review – Carol Morley's masterly followup to Dreams of a Life". The Guardian. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

External links