Rent Fall on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Jonathan Frank & Scott Mann
Directed by: Scott Mann
Starring: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Mason Gooding, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Best friends Becky and Hunter become stranded at the top of a 2,000-foot radio tower.
Verdict
This is an uncomfortable movie even if you aren't afraid of heights. There's an inherent danger being that far off the ground, and you can't get away from it in this movie. The height and danger is persistent, and there are a few moments where you feel a rush at the perceived height. Despite the limited location, this remains engaging.
Watch It.
Review
This is in the same vein as Frozen and The Shallows where the main character(s) is stranded with no obvious means of escape.
We get an introductory scene just to set the stage. Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner) enjoy rocking climbing and extreme heights. A year later Becky is dealing with grief due to an unfortunate accident. Hunter wants to climb the fourth tallest structure in the U.S., a television tower, and she convinces Becky to accompany.
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| Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner play Becky, Hunter |
The bulk of the movie occurs on this tower, and this does a great job of foreshadowing with close up shots of rusty and loose bolts. Becky is hesitant but Hunter is daring, mainly to create images for social media.
Stepping outside of this movie, with OSHA you'd have to having landings and I'd assume tie offs for safety. I get why this movie ignores that for the sake of the plot. Items like that would just slow it down. Also, I don't see why so many bolts would be loose. I could see rusty.
If you don't like heights, this is not the movie for you. I don't have a problem with heights, but the risks they take are scary. You feel it. We're still aware of the inherent danger of being that far off the ground and especially the danger posed to these women. The sheer height alone is uncomfortable. I wondered if this used green screen. The upper portion of the tower was built on a mountain to simulate height. The actors were never more than one hundred feet off the ground.
This movie is stressful. Few movies build this kind of tension. The subtext of this movie is people doing stupid and unsafe things for likes, exposure, and social media. It's almost a relief when they're stranded on the tower because you no longer wonder will this be the scene where it happens. I do have to wonder about their ability to pull each other with a rope and the strength to hold them selves suspended one handed. These women are strong, I guess that can be explained away by them being rock climbers.
The script is smart. Multiple plot points are set up to pay off later in a way that feels natural to the story. This even manages a plot twist despite the small location. I did wonder how this would end. Would it be ambiguous, happy, or sad? We do get a clear conclusion, but I wonder how would you recover from something like that? The entire thing is a harrowing ordeal. It's solid film making. Great movies evoke emotions and feelings. This certainly does that by creating that sublime feeling when you're on an extremely tall structure looking down.
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