There are some movies you watch and immediately know that in one year's time, you will be very hard-pressed to remember a single detail to describe it to a police officer. It's not a bad film or even a boring one. It just feels forgettable.
What were we talking about again?
Quick Plot: Sarah arrives at her parents' vow renewal to a grim discovery: her mother, clad in a wedding gown, stabbing her father before slitting her own throat. In a haze, Sarah finds herself in a bathtub with her wrists sliced up before one more wakeup to her adoring, controlling, clearly evil husband Nick.
The first problem is that Sarah has no memory of marrying this man, or, well, anything, save for the fact that she has a sister. According to Nick, said sister Julie is a monster who manipulated things to inherit most of the family, leaving Sarah only with the large house.
And a servant.
And a lot of very fancy dresses.
I don't know guys, I don't think this couple is poor.
Anyway, Nick is busy writing a book while Sarah floats through her estate, occasionally bristling against the housekeeper Rose and taking the mysterious pills Nick pushes. A dinner party with insufferable but well-dressed pals turns into something of a bacchanal before Sarah finally discovers the truth of her situation.
I won't spoil that here, as the reveal is kind of the only real point of interest The Free Fall has going. It certainly helps to add a clever reinterpretation of the film's events. It would have felt pretty fresh had I not recently caught another low budget little thriller on Tubi that did the same thing (again, so as not to spoil, I'll link to the title here if you're dreadfully curious).
Ultimately, I was left pretty underwhelmed. There's nothing specific that I can put my finger on as to what doesn't really work, but The Free Fall just feels a bit too small and sparse to ever find its high gear.
High Points
For what I imagine was a very small budget, The Free Fall is a genuinely beautifully looking film. Considering the film's gothic horror mood, it's important, and goes a long way in bulking up the atmosphere
Low Points
When your film already has a big twist, tacking another one on at the end feels more annoying than neat
Lessons Learned
Nothing brings your hair to Pantene PRO-V level glory than being a kept woman
Don't you dare help a woman who doesn't need help
Never trust a maid who looks like Jane Badler. We all know what's under that pristine bone structure
Rent/Bury/Buy
I didn't find The Free Fall to have much to offer, but it looks pretty, and the twist might satisfy certain viewers. Find it on Hulu if you're in that kind of mood.
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I had a forgettable film recently too. In fact, when I watched it a month or so ago I actually thought, "that wasn't bad but I am not confident I will remember it." Then yesterday I saw it in my Letterboxd diary yesterday and didn't recognize the name so I had to click on my review to be reminded of what it was. And then just now, I was like "jeez what's the forgettable movie I was just reminded of yesterday" because I forgot it AGAIN! That one is called Moloch. From 2022, Dutch folk horror. Have you seen it? I'm curious what you will think, I wonder if it's really that forgettable or if it's just me (to be fair, my watch of it was interrupted a few times by Shudder streaming issues).
ReplyDeleteI clicked your link to Spirit of Fear and lol'd at the 3.6 review average from a scant 405 viewers. So on brand for you! I think I will always wonder what draws you to the films you watch.
I haven't seen Moloch, mostly because I had basically heard most reviews as being "meh", but obviously now I HAVE to!
DeleteAw, Spirit of Fear just doesn't deserve a 3.6! I think I found that one from a podcast vouching for it as something more interesting than it should be. That's often one route I have for finding a movie. Other times it's as simple as scrolling through apps and looking at the running time against my available time and saying, "why not?"