39 reviews
A woman visits her parents' house to celebrate the retaking of their marriage vows, but finds that's not the only ritual on the menu.
Trippy, fractured story with stylish symbolism that kept me on my toes to the end. The opening shot carefully lays a trail of clues - not least a word in capital letters - so I knew to keep questioning what was coming at me. There's plenty of mirror-trickery to raise doubts not just about what's going on but also about who the heroine really is, and the broken up sequence of events keeps everything in confusion.
The risk with trippy story-telling is that it leaves the audience stumbling about until we stub our toe and say, Enough. So I was kinda fatigued by the halfway mark, but then the prospect of a dramatic set-piece was introduced and my attention perked up. Was it worth it? Well, I think the end broke off prematurely, probably because the writer had no good idea what the whole thing was about. I certainly didn't get the sense of all the mysteries in the puzzle locking together to reveal a genuine human experience.
The performances are good, and the editing keeps up a decent pace. The camera work dwelled a lot on mirrors, and was otherwise unremarkable. The original score caught my attention with the accordions in the dance scene, but was never switched off and proved distracting in several scenes where the actors were face to face.
It is an unusual take on this sub-genre of horror, but not as engaging as Grace (2014), and I feel the stilted mood of the set-piece reflected a lack of heart in the writing.
Overall: Intriguing but not so engaging.
Trippy, fractured story with stylish symbolism that kept me on my toes to the end. The opening shot carefully lays a trail of clues - not least a word in capital letters - so I knew to keep questioning what was coming at me. There's plenty of mirror-trickery to raise doubts not just about what's going on but also about who the heroine really is, and the broken up sequence of events keeps everything in confusion.
The risk with trippy story-telling is that it leaves the audience stumbling about until we stub our toe and say, Enough. So I was kinda fatigued by the halfway mark, but then the prospect of a dramatic set-piece was introduced and my attention perked up. Was it worth it? Well, I think the end broke off prematurely, probably because the writer had no good idea what the whole thing was about. I certainly didn't get the sense of all the mysteries in the puzzle locking together to reveal a genuine human experience.
The performances are good, and the editing keeps up a decent pace. The camera work dwelled a lot on mirrors, and was otherwise unremarkable. The original score caught my attention with the accordions in the dance scene, but was never switched off and proved distracting in several scenes where the actors were face to face.
It is an unusual take on this sub-genre of horror, but not as engaging as Grace (2014), and I feel the stilted mood of the set-piece reflected a lack of heart in the writing.
Overall: Intriguing but not so engaging.
RATED 6/10
Language: English
The acting was so pathetic and the making is so average. Looks like total miscast except the maid and sister. The first half is slow and testing your patience. The second half is decent and the climax is good. Just because of the conclusion, I rated bit higher, else it is easily avoidable one.
The acting was so pathetic and the making is so average. Looks like total miscast except the maid and sister. The first half is slow and testing your patience. The second half is decent and the climax is good. Just because of the conclusion, I rated bit higher, else it is easily avoidable one.
What could have been a straight forward supernatural thriller has been overdone.
The plot and scenes, too incoherent to enjoy, making you lose interest by the time you get to the end.
The plot and scenes, too incoherent to enjoy, making you lose interest by the time you get to the end.
- t2do2dl2da
- Feb 5, 2022
- Permalink
I liked the twist at the end...it was a clever and unique twist, however the journey to get there was a painful one. A storyline like this needs more finesse, better actors, intricate detailing etc. This film did not posses those qualities unfortunately. A shame as it had such potential.
- bangel3322
- Jan 23, 2022
- Permalink
Let's get the overall review out of the way: this movie is lamer than a three legged horse in the Kentucky Derby. It's slow, it's dull, and it's big twist is as dumb as dirt. At least I think. It's hard to tell if it was as bad as I thought because it is nearly impossible to hear some of the dialogue. I'm sure it was a conscious decision to have a muted, echoey quality to the dialogue while background music plays at the same volume. Why? Who knows. I'm not sure it would make a difference. Good cast, bad script, daytime television level directing, and local public access sound make this one a hard pass.
- haskel-72951
- Jan 15, 2022
- Permalink
Bottom line: Free Fall was a fine watch, but the writing was pretty frustrating, and it didn't come together as well as I'd like. I think it was worth the watch for the imagery, but ultimately it was an unsatisfying film.
Free Fall is a little tough to review. I think the writing and pacing would ultimately be a 3/10, but the imagery and general idea would be around a 6/10. At the end of the day, there is enough memorable moments that I'm glad I watched it, but I don't think there was enough for me to really recommend it.
The dialogue and general writing was really poor and often very frustrating. The pace was very slow and repetitive. They ramp up really fast and then just kind of plateau for too long before moving into the final act. It was engaging for a while, but then they stop giving any new information and just repeat the same sorts of scenes a handful of times so you just want it to move on and get to the point.
The imagery was pretty intense though. There are some serious gory scenes, some really weird stuff I liked a lot, and some artistic moments. Similarly, the story and idea were actually pretty good, and the twist was fun.
While I liked the twist, I don't think it was a particularly surprising, or done quite as well as it could have been. I think you're ability to figure it out might effect your overall view of the movie since a lot of the positive reviews seem to find it mind-blowing, but it was one of a few possible endings we all pegged pretty early.
Free Fall is a little tough to review. I think the writing and pacing would ultimately be a 3/10, but the imagery and general idea would be around a 6/10. At the end of the day, there is enough memorable moments that I'm glad I watched it, but I don't think there was enough for me to really recommend it.
The dialogue and general writing was really poor and often very frustrating. The pace was very slow and repetitive. They ramp up really fast and then just kind of plateau for too long before moving into the final act. It was engaging for a while, but then they stop giving any new information and just repeat the same sorts of scenes a handful of times so you just want it to move on and get to the point.
The imagery was pretty intense though. There are some serious gory scenes, some really weird stuff I liked a lot, and some artistic moments. Similarly, the story and idea were actually pretty good, and the twist was fun.
While I liked the twist, I don't think it was a particularly surprising, or done quite as well as it could have been. I think you're ability to figure it out might effect your overall view of the movie since a lot of the positive reviews seem to find it mind-blowing, but it was one of a few possible endings we all pegged pretty early.
- korythacher
- Oct 23, 2022
- Permalink
Grimmfest 2021
Hard to comment without giving it away and honestly, you deserve to go into this one cold and experience it yourself.
For the most part, an urban spin on a Daphne DuMaurier style gaslighting tale. We can tell things ain't right but we don't know why or how.
The three leads play it straight - Ashmore and the stunning Ms Lando are more than watchable throughout.
Then, it careers into its final act and it has to be seen to be believed...
Critic proof - a sure fire future cult classic.
Hard to comment without giving it away and honestly, you deserve to go into this one cold and experience it yourself.
For the most part, an urban spin on a Daphne DuMaurier style gaslighting tale. We can tell things ain't right but we don't know why or how.
The three leads play it straight - Ashmore and the stunning Ms Lando are more than watchable throughout.
Then, it careers into its final act and it has to be seen to be believed...
Critic proof - a sure fire future cult classic.
If you want to be bored to sleep then watch this movie. Same scenarios of dreams from start to end. So repetitive slow and boring. Total waste of time. Don't believe the fake ratings this movie is a mess pointless and again a real borefest.
- secretsphantom
- Jan 13, 2022
- Permalink
This was an amazing exercise in insanity. A young woman has a melodramatic conversation with her sister right before visiting her parents, then suddenly has a vision of pure horror. She wakes up in bed, suddenly has a husband, can't remember anything, gets weird visits from a bearded guy who might or might not exist.
I burst out laughing at least once every five minutes. Everyone is trying so hard to be serious, and the story is trying so hard to be terrifying, that I could feel the movie collapsing under the weight of its own incoherence. When is this supposed to be taking place? I noticed the rotary phones and the typewriter. Yet there is no sense of setting in the story, the old-fashioned props are just there to make things look gothic. Same with the grandfather clock.
So many times, Sarah would see something or experience something and then wake up, as if it were all a dream - to the point where I had no idea if anything was really happening or not, so I found it impossible to take anything seriously. What difference does it make what happens in this scene? She's just going to wake up again. And then we get so many bizarre shots of Sarah seeing Sarah. A different Sarah? An evil Sarah? A Sarah from the past?
Sarah and her husband have many conversations in this movie. But they do not sound like human conversations. Nick says that he wants to protect Sarah, and Sarah insists that someone is invading the house. Rinse and repeat. There is also the framing device of pig meat - early in the movie we see bacon, and toward the end we get a whole roast pig. Interpret that however you like.
Oh, and the photography. My god. Constant blur effects, and switching back and forth between different visions, to create the sense of confusion. I could feel the director grabbing camera and shouting into it, "THIS IS SCARY! I'M DOING SOME WEIRD THINGS HERE!"
"The Free Fall" is incompetent, preposterous, and insane. If it had been a little more fantastical and done a bit more with practical effects, it could have been another "Troll 2." I know this is a terrible movie, but I was mesmerized. You don't get unintentional hilarity like this just every day.
I burst out laughing at least once every five minutes. Everyone is trying so hard to be serious, and the story is trying so hard to be terrifying, that I could feel the movie collapsing under the weight of its own incoherence. When is this supposed to be taking place? I noticed the rotary phones and the typewriter. Yet there is no sense of setting in the story, the old-fashioned props are just there to make things look gothic. Same with the grandfather clock.
So many times, Sarah would see something or experience something and then wake up, as if it were all a dream - to the point where I had no idea if anything was really happening or not, so I found it impossible to take anything seriously. What difference does it make what happens in this scene? She's just going to wake up again. And then we get so many bizarre shots of Sarah seeing Sarah. A different Sarah? An evil Sarah? A Sarah from the past?
Sarah and her husband have many conversations in this movie. But they do not sound like human conversations. Nick says that he wants to protect Sarah, and Sarah insists that someone is invading the house. Rinse and repeat. There is also the framing device of pig meat - early in the movie we see bacon, and toward the end we get a whole roast pig. Interpret that however you like.
Oh, and the photography. My god. Constant blur effects, and switching back and forth between different visions, to create the sense of confusion. I could feel the director grabbing camera and shouting into it, "THIS IS SCARY! I'M DOING SOME WEIRD THINGS HERE!"
"The Free Fall" is incompetent, preposterous, and insane. If it had been a little more fantastical and done a bit more with practical effects, it could have been another "Troll 2." I know this is a terrible movie, but I was mesmerized. You don't get unintentional hilarity like this just every day.
- olympicator
- Jun 20, 2022
- Permalink
I saw this as part of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival this year, and I wasn't sure what to expect. It looked like a fairly modestly budgeted horror movie, but I was interested because I liked the two leads (Shawn Ashmore and Narcos's Andrea Londo) and the director's previous film, The Triangle. Still, my expectations were tempered. The gist: a woman has gone through something truly horrific (quite the opening sequence - yikes!), and after attempting suicide she's struggling to regain her memory. Her husband is by her side as she gets stronger, but is he understandably overprotective... or is there more going on in the house?
Fortunately this movie - which shifts between psychological thriller and horror - kept me guessing, and it actually did a few things that I (a pretty avid horror watcher) didn't see coming. There were plot elements I suspected by about halfway through, but there's a surrealist quality to the twists that start coming around that midpoint that make that moot, because by then you're so uneasy as the viewer that it doesn't matter if you've guessed a direction. No spoilers: there's a dinner party scene that really starts to make you wonder wtf is going on, in a good way. The writer and director does a very good job at keeping you as off-kilter as the main character is clearly feeling. Who is being gaslighted here, and who's doing the gaslighting? Is it the fragile wife? The controlling husband? Is it the wife's mysteriously absent sister? Or the Danvers-esque housekeeper who seems to have an agenda? And who are the people who keep showing up outside the house...?
Bonus points to Ashmore, who plays into the "is he evil/is he protecting her" qualities of his husband role exceptionally well. He walks a thin line and keeps you vacillating between two extremes throughout the film, and it's quite fun to see. Another bonus point for the ending, which threw another angle at me that I hadn't anticipated at all.
A strong 7/10 rounded up to an 8 for Ashmore and the truly trippy direction it takes halfway through. It may not be groundbreaking but it's certainly entertaining!
Fortunately this movie - which shifts between psychological thriller and horror - kept me guessing, and it actually did a few things that I (a pretty avid horror watcher) didn't see coming. There were plot elements I suspected by about halfway through, but there's a surrealist quality to the twists that start coming around that midpoint that make that moot, because by then you're so uneasy as the viewer that it doesn't matter if you've guessed a direction. No spoilers: there's a dinner party scene that really starts to make you wonder wtf is going on, in a good way. The writer and director does a very good job at keeping you as off-kilter as the main character is clearly feeling. Who is being gaslighted here, and who's doing the gaslighting? Is it the fragile wife? The controlling husband? Is it the wife's mysteriously absent sister? Or the Danvers-esque housekeeper who seems to have an agenda? And who are the people who keep showing up outside the house...?
Bonus points to Ashmore, who plays into the "is he evil/is he protecting her" qualities of his husband role exceptionally well. He walks a thin line and keeps you vacillating between two extremes throughout the film, and it's quite fun to see. Another bonus point for the ending, which threw another angle at me that I hadn't anticipated at all.
A strong 7/10 rounded up to an 8 for Ashmore and the truly trippy direction it takes halfway through. It may not be groundbreaking but it's certainly entertaining!
The Free Fall is another outing from the world of indie horror that proves that the most interesting efforts don't always lie among the mainstream. It's a haunting mystery surrounding a young woman who struggles to regain her memory after a failed suicide attempt.
The film is a low budget indie effort starring Shawn Ashmore and it certainly moves at a slower pace. Not so much for the Insidious crowd but anybody who has followed the A24 section of horror will probably find something to enjoy here.
The mystery is the driving point of the film and, unlike so many others that fail to engage, this one will likely keep you guessing to the very end. To say anything else would surely be to spoil it.
Give it a watch. It's not the best of the bunch but it's certainly worth the runtime. I so love when directors get it right with this type of film.
The film is a low budget indie effort starring Shawn Ashmore and it certainly moves at a slower pace. Not so much for the Insidious crowd but anybody who has followed the A24 section of horror will probably find something to enjoy here.
The mystery is the driving point of the film and, unlike so many others that fail to engage, this one will likely keep you guessing to the very end. To say anything else would surely be to spoil it.
Give it a watch. It's not the best of the bunch but it's certainly worth the runtime. I so love when directors get it right with this type of film.
- susieqeisus
- Jan 21, 2022
- Permalink
This movie was terrible. I rented it due to the fact that Ashmore was in it and he's been a really good actor in a number of other projects but I had to create an account just to say how bad I thought it was. And I'm huge HORROR fan. It's my favorite genre. I wish I could get my $8 back.
- haeckeljill
- Jan 14, 2022
- Permalink
Simplistic idea for a film presented in the convoluted nature of amnesia. The film takes slight chances with production leaving much to be desired with the confusion and tension that it needed to be suspenseful. Instead, the musings of what is true were uninspired images that ultimately felt heavy handed. Acting was decent so it wasn't a complete waste. Overall, the way that the plot toyed with us didn't lead to much. And the potential twist at the end wasn't very imaginative. Lackluster effort overall that didn't create much magic in the end. Had potential but something didn't quite blend together for something better.
- jmbovan-47-160173
- Oct 3, 2022
- Permalink
A dream just a dream, said REM while falling asleep in a corner, of a beautiful old masion , fully equiped and stashed with artifacts thatll trill and draw you into a ghostly mood in the start, theyve engaged one of the most goodlooking curly brunettes ive seen since my wife stopped colouring her hair, but the story, plot, repetitive wake ups and reoccuring bloody sceenes, with a throatslithering aka Arne Nordheim the norwegian composer styled score, some strage or estrange love and relationships, that shows that falling in coma might be better than this.
Its an art noir of glory gory days, for the alternative filmstyle enthusiast, and that is not me.a non recommend from the grumpy old man.
Its an art noir of glory gory days, for the alternative filmstyle enthusiast, and that is not me.a non recommend from the grumpy old man.
When I started this movie, it gaveb me the "Secret Obsession" movie vibes and I'm 101% sure that the husband smells sooo fishy. I had to turn caption on because the voice lines are soooooo low but if it is time for the jumpscares, it would be sooo loud which is a common theme for movies like this that I kinda hate. I feel like the jumpscares are too much that it slows the movie.
BUT after finishing this movie, I WAS SATISFIED. I feel like I underestimated this movie given that the reviews are not that high, I am really not expecting this movie to be this good.
I was so shocked about the turn of events of what actually is happening and for me, it is sooo smart and fresh. TBH, this is better than some huge name movies I watched with the same genre. More movies like this please.
BUT after finishing this movie, I WAS SATISFIED. I feel like I underestimated this movie given that the reviews are not that high, I am really not expecting this movie to be this good.
I was so shocked about the turn of events of what actually is happening and for me, it is sooo smart and fresh. TBH, this is better than some huge name movies I watched with the same genre. More movies like this please.
- MissScaredyCat
- Jul 29, 2022
- Permalink
Just a mess of nonsense until the end. I wish I had non wasted my time with this series, I saw the description and the picture and thought it could be interesting-it was not.
- elissasnielsen
- Jun 21, 2022
- Permalink
Surprised by some of the negative reviews out here. I was initially sceptic going into this movie, keeping in mind the hoards of nonsensical horror movies being made under $99 budgets. However, this film held my attention throughout, without me reaching for my remote even once.
The story line is simple, and it would be easy to figure out from the first 15 minutes as to how the story would end. I guess the writers figured out the same thing and decided to give it a "slightly" unexpected twist at the end, which really got me! The short run time eliminates unnecessary fillers, acting is kind of ok, and camera work could have been better. There is a constant background score which has been nicely done and helps elevate the ominous nature of the plot. Definitely a one time watch for horror fans.
The story line is simple, and it would be easy to figure out from the first 15 minutes as to how the story would end. I guess the writers figured out the same thing and decided to give it a "slightly" unexpected twist at the end, which really got me! The short run time eliminates unnecessary fillers, acting is kind of ok, and camera work could have been better. There is a constant background score which has been nicely done and helps elevate the ominous nature of the plot. Definitely a one time watch for horror fans.
- vishalfrombombay
- Jan 14, 2022
- Permalink
This will be short and sweet. I'm shocked someone came up with this idea, pitched it and it was actually funded and made. Wow, what a crappy film. It's a disaster from start to finish, if you make it through.
- dyerjeffrey
- Jun 16, 2022
- Permalink
"The Free Fall" is a really well done horror thriller that delivers the goods. The movie starts with a bang, as Sara (played by Andrea Londo) goes to her parents house to help them celebrate their anniversary only to be greeted by a horrific scene. Next time we see her, she is in bed recovering from a suicide attempt. She has lost most of her memory due to the traumatic events of her life (including the suicide attempt) and her husband Nick (Shawn Ashmore) tries to help her recover her life and memory. He starts reminding her of their life and explaining the events that unfolded after the events at the beginning of the movie caused her to spiral out of control. Sara starts feeling better, but as time goes on, she starts to get flashes of memories, she sees and hears things that she is assured aren't there and she starts to get the feeling something is just off...
Look, this is a horror film. So we know from the outset this isn't going to end up with Sara simply regaining her memory and living happily ever after. The movie knows we know that, too, and cleverly plays with our expectations. Nick does something that makes us say, "Aha! He's the bad guy!" and then he does something that makes us say, "Oh, maybe not. He seems to be the good guy." There is a housekeeper named Rose who acts weird and we think we know what's going on, and then we think that maybe it's all in Sara's head and Rose was acting fine. And I gotta admit -- the denouement took me by surprise. I've seen a LOT of horror movies so to have one make me say, "Whoa! I didn't see that coming!" is really saying something.
In addition, the lead performance help drive the movie. Andrea Londo makes Sara truly likable, vulnerable, and easy to root for. And Shawn Ashmore does a wonderful job of making Nick just suspicious enough to make us worry about him, and caring enough for us to sort of feel guilty for suspecting him. And unlike many low budget films, it is well lit, well filmed, and only a couple of minor places where the sound mix makes it hard to hear.
All in all, "The Free Fall" gets a pretty high recommendation from me. Definitely worth checking out.
Look, this is a horror film. So we know from the outset this isn't going to end up with Sara simply regaining her memory and living happily ever after. The movie knows we know that, too, and cleverly plays with our expectations. Nick does something that makes us say, "Aha! He's the bad guy!" and then he does something that makes us say, "Oh, maybe not. He seems to be the good guy." There is a housekeeper named Rose who acts weird and we think we know what's going on, and then we think that maybe it's all in Sara's head and Rose was acting fine. And I gotta admit -- the denouement took me by surprise. I've seen a LOT of horror movies so to have one make me say, "Whoa! I didn't see that coming!" is really saying something.
In addition, the lead performance help drive the movie. Andrea Londo makes Sara truly likable, vulnerable, and easy to root for. And Shawn Ashmore does a wonderful job of making Nick just suspicious enough to make us worry about him, and caring enough for us to sort of feel guilty for suspecting him. And unlike many low budget films, it is well lit, well filmed, and only a couple of minor places where the sound mix makes it hard to hear.
All in all, "The Free Fall" gets a pretty high recommendation from me. Definitely worth checking out.
- stevesinger-2001
- Jan 14, 2022
- Permalink
- michaelRokeefe
- Sep 9, 2024
- Permalink
S. D. T in this case stands for
Slow moving - this movie is moving very slowly, you will get at least 30 mins.. waiting for things to happen, well finally happens at almost at the end. I will not tell you want it is ...
Dumb - I found it very dumb in many ways, acting, plots and display. This film is made in 21 century, and old dial phone and typewriter?!! Come on, even it may signify something (spoiler - but you guess), but it is way too dumb to put those things there in this age of time.
Twist - Yes, there is a twist at the end, but then overall, it is not that great.
I gave it a 5 because of this twist, but acting and the plots are not that great. It could be done better.
Slow moving - this movie is moving very slowly, you will get at least 30 mins.. waiting for things to happen, well finally happens at almost at the end. I will not tell you want it is ...
Dumb - I found it very dumb in many ways, acting, plots and display. This film is made in 21 century, and old dial phone and typewriter?!! Come on, even it may signify something (spoiler - but you guess), but it is way too dumb to put those things there in this age of time.
Twist - Yes, there is a twist at the end, but then overall, it is not that great.
I gave it a 5 because of this twist, but acting and the plots are not that great. It could be done better.
82 minutes of nothing. Pointless. Lazy script. Bad actng, all characters.
Very boring. Very boring and and horrible camera work.
B class. For TV. Better pass time locking a clock.
All non sense.
Very boring. Very boring and and horrible camera work.
B class. For TV. Better pass time locking a clock.
All non sense.
- muscillopanella1622
- Mar 26, 2022
- Permalink
- BandSAboutMovies
- Oct 26, 2021
- Permalink