MovieChat Forums > The Fall (2008) Discussion > Beautiful but Boring

Beautiful but Boring

posted 13 years ago by osully67
27 replies | jump to latest

This film is visually stunning but the story dragged. The fantasy story about the bandits in particular was very long and emotionally lackluster. Why would the little girl care about such a drawn-out, bloody, boyish story? She doesn't even like pirate stories. There was no juice in it. No human interest.

I thought there was good acting until the melodramatic, unrealistic scene where the girl and Lee Pace cry until he agrees to stay alive for her. Didn't buy it. A drug-addicted, suicidal man is really going to be persuaded by a strange little girl that he should stay alive for her?

I had high hopes for the film because it was recommended to me on Netflix based on my interest in "Eternal Sunshine" and "Amelie." And there were some funny, touching parts, but mostly I was incredibly bored.

[–] rollexx 13 years ago

I 100% agree with you, I was also a lost fan after that scene. I mean, seriously, the storyteller makes you like all of these unique, interesting fantasy characters, then he *SPOILER ALERT*

kills them off suddenly, with no real reason why each had to sacrifice themselves. They were rushed deaths, and I feel like they were just running out of time and money, so they just ended it. I guess what I'm saying, is that the fantasy part was the real highlight of the film - after that, you saw the subpar script, terrific acting but it was all about beautiful cinematography but hollow plot.

Btw, if you liked Eternal Sunshine and Amelie - watch "The Science of Sleep".

[–] serene9 13 years ago

"kills them off suddenly, with no real reason why each had to sacrifice themselves. They were rushed deaths, and I feel like they were just running out of time and money, so they just ended it"
..................................................................................

From the start, we're suppose to know that all the Roy's stories were all made up to manipulate the girl, and she likes to interrupt and forces him to twist the story the way she wanted it to be. So what you saw was actually a manipulative, made up story with dream-like visuals. So, by this explanation of mine, I hope you'll get the real intention of the movie.

To be precise, this movie was about Roy-Alexandria tragic relationship drama.

[–] mariusmac 12 years ago

He made them die to finnish the story as soon as possible, because he didn´t feel like continuing with the long (happy ending) story for much longer time, because of his depression.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 13 years ago

I agree. I rented this on Blu-ray for the highly touted cinematography, but discovered it was kind of ripped off from Baraka and the original is much better. What did surprise me is how much I loved the acting of the little girl in the "real" story. The cheesy fantasy part was incredibly boring even with the visuals.

[–] nivenjohn 12 years ago

Could you specifiy, please. Which year is this movie Baraka from and why did it remind you of The Fall?

thx!

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 12 years ago

It's from 1992, and you'd have to see it but there are scenes that are clearly copied from it. I highly recommend it, especially on Blu-ray on a good HDTV set.

[–] SheBear 12 years ago

I found the hospital scenes to be the best part, cheesiness or no, I fell for it and I thought they were well done. The fantasy segments were slow and the special effects were obvious much of the time. I found it a bit of a stretch that a little girl would find the stunt man's stories at all compelling.

[–] MrCharles 12 years ago

What special effects?

"Specificity?"

[–] enneagram4 12 years ago

If I were a little girl and Lee Pace was paraphrasing "My Pet Goat", I would be riveted, straight or not.

[–] mference123 12 years ago

I hear you!

I understand. Thank you for telling me. -The masked bandit

[–] enneagram4 12 years ago

How do you rip off Baraka which is a montage of images? Inspired in part by, yes. There are characters and dialogue in the Fall. Baraka is a National Geographic coffee table book. The Fall is a fairy tale.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 13 years ago

Why would the little girl care about such a drawn-out, bloody, boyish story?

She's a Romanian immigrant whose family were persecuted and her father killed. I'm pretty sure she would have witnessed many bloody scenes in her little life and a fantastic story in which to renact them would doubtless appeal. In addition your statement makes a lot of presumptions about what girls like.

the melodramatic, unrealistic scene where the girl and Lee Pace cry until he agrees to stay alive for her. Didn't buy it. A drug-addicted, suicidal man is really going to be persuaded by a strange little girl that he should stay alive for her?

Best scene of the film. As another poster commented the fantasy story represents the relationship between Roy and Alexandria and as the story nears its end so the feelings between the two intensify because Roy wants to die and Alexandria wants him to live. Roy cries from desperation as much as anything because Alexandria wants him to be her surrogate father and he is trying to let her down gently. Her distress touches upon his. He's crying for himself as much as her. By this scene she is no longer a 'strange little girl' and as charmed as we, the audience are by her, so too was he.

I'm a fountain of blood
In the shape of a girl

[–] serene9 13 years ago

the melodramatic, unrealistic scene where the girl and Lee Pace cry until he agrees to stay alive for her. Didn't buy it. A drug-addicted, suicidal man is really going to be persuaded by a strange little girl that he should stay alive for her?
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First of all, the ending never actually tells us what Roy is up to after he tried to convince the injured, crying, heartbroken girl that he is going to stay alive for her. She had never seen him again in person since, but only in the silent films Roy did before the accident, naively thinking Roy is still alive.

It will become unrealistic if he tells the poor girl in her face that he is still going to kill himself anyway! Now THAT is beyond melodramatic.

[–] bobbob-46 13 years ago

*SPOILER*

"kills them off suddenly, with no real reason why each had to sacrifice themselves. They were rushed deaths, and I feel like they were just running out of time and money, so they just ended it"

From Roy's perspective, he intended a suicidal story when he created it. All heroes and villains were going to die. As he grew to hate himself more, after causing the girl's accident, he grew more desperate to die. He started to rush the deaths of his characters.

dialogue:
villain: look at him, look at him! I want you to see how pathetic he really is,
Hero: I can't get up!
villain: How pathetic! Look at him! He's a drug addict! Your father is a coward!
Roy: He can't win. That's because our masked bandit's a coward.... Yeah, he never took an oath A fake, he's a liar and a coward.
girl: you're lying
roy: No. He had his fingers crossed.

She influenced story and forced Roy to change it/his decision to die.

[–] bobbob-46 13 years ago

*SPOILER*

"kills them off suddenly, with no real reason why each had to sacrifice themselves. They were rushed deaths, and I feel like they were just running out of time and money, so they just ended it"

From Roy's perspective, he intended a suicidal story when he created it. All heroes and villains were going to die. As he grew to hate himself more, after causing the girl's accident, he grew more desperate to die. He started to rush the deaths of his characters.

dialogue:
villain: look at him, look at him! I want you to see how pathetic he really is,
Hero: I can't get up!
villain: How pathetic! Look at him! He's a drug addict! Your father is a coward!
Roy: He can't win. That's because our masked bandit's a coward.... Yeah, he never took an oath A fake, he's a liar and a coward.
girl: you're lying
roy: No. He had his fingers crossed.

She influences roy and his story. She explicit alters it during the telling, you can hear over voice over as the visual fantasy plays.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] HeywoodJablomy 12 years ago

First of all, the ending never actually tells us what Roy is up to after he tried to convince the injured, crying, heartbroken girl that he is going to stay alive for her. She had never seen him again in person since, but only in the silent films Roy did before the accident, naively thinking Roy is still alive.

Actually, that's not true. Roy's one and only film before his injury was shown to everyone in the hospital. When Alexandria sees Roy in a later film, he's obviously walking and working. She even talks about how she watched it over and over to make sure it was really Roy. So the implication is there that he recovered from his injuries and went back to work, and hopefully back to life.

OT, I loved all the Buster Keaton clips (and others) at the end of the movie. Hard to believe men really risked their lives like that for our entertainment.

[–] h-nyina 11 years ago

Disagree. She sees Roy into ALL STUNTMEN. It was pretty obvious when they started to show Buster Keaton, and from the narrative it seems like she thinks every stunt is done by Roy. This is her childish imagination. Tarsem left the ending open, leaving it to the audiance to decide what happened to Roy.

[–] maniuis 12 years ago

That says it all! Agree 100 %.

[–] Yirone 12 years ago

You should make this a review (with a little downplay on the spoilers). I had the same impressions and think it would be helpful for other people to read this.

Sometimes, the best answer is a more interesting question.

[–] Rena_Mahone 12 years ago

Agreed, except that I do not understand how someone who loves Amelie does not like The Fall, as they are both useless and boring movies. At least The Fall wasn't as tedious as Amelie.

Boycott movies that involve real animal violence! (and their directors too)

[–] clare-mt-brincat 11 years ago

*spoiler alert?*

He starts rushing the ending because he has lost all will to live. This has resulted in not only hurting himself but hurting this innocent girl, who has trusted him all along. He decides to end it all, as it's better for Alexandria to not continue to be caught up in his pain.
As he is about the kill himself in the story Alexandria begs him continuously to not die. He refuses, but as she continue to beg and makes him promise he realises, that all though his girlfriend did not truly love him, Alexandria does, and that he loves her back. His despair turns to strength when he finds love again, albeit a different kind of love.

It's truly powerful, I find.

[–] Shimmer_Me_Timbers 10 years ago

I didn't find it boring. Idk maybe it's because I could relate to bits of both characters. I spent a lot of time cooped up in the hospital when I was young and I know what it's like to have something like the use of your legs taken away from you (although I was never suicidal about it and I did regain use again).

The story is about two lonely people that find each other and form a bond that gets them through the had times. It's a bit of a love story - not like an amourous love more like a platonic love.

It was clear from nearly the begining that Roy wanted to die. He lost the woman he loves, lost his career as a stunt man (to woo said woman) doing something stupid, and his life choices left him young and paralized at a time where it was much much harder with a disability. It's not unusual for people that have been through what Roy has been through to be depressed (and sometimes even suicidal).

The little girl was lonely, only able to see her sister and her mother about once a month or so when they could manage to leave the orange fields and visit the hospital. Not to mention she is far away from her origial home - where she whitnessed her father's murder and the burning of their home.

He manipulates her into getting him pills but she manipulates him into spending time with her and telling her a story.

I thought there was good acting until the melodramatic, unrealistic scene where the girl and Lee Pace cry until he agrees to stay alive for her. Didn't buy it. A drug-addicted, suicidal man is really going to be persuaded by a strange little girl that he should stay alive for her?

He's not a drug-addict - he only sent her for the pills so he could OD. He cries because he hates himself for what he's become and for being responsible for her latest tumble (which nearly killed her). Their little back and forth during that entire scene is her wanting him to choose to live - I think at that point she knows it's not ALL just a story. The fate of Roy is tied to that of the Bandit. So by then end she helps him regain the desire and the fight to live.