Fall (2022) Review

After a tragic climbing accident resulting in the death of her husband Dan, Becky shut herself off from the world for a year and when Hunter shows up she ends up agreeing a ridiculous challenge to climb to the top of a 2000 foot radio tower.

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The opening scene of the film with three people rock climbing and from that moment you just knew something bad was going to happen, I mean come on we know the score! It wasn’t long before an issue occurred and Dan fell to his death. Resulting in Becky having a horrendous year cutting herself off from the world and refusing to really speak to her father James. He just wanted the best for his daughter and does not want her life ending because Dan had died, which is someways came across as very harsh but then we begin to understand aspects of what he wanted her to do.

When her friend Hunter arrives unannounced she mentions that she wants to climb a radio tower which is 2000 foot and not too far away. Becky refuses to begin with and eventually is persuaded. Hunter was somewhat of an influencer on social media by doing crazy things and has a different persona when talking to her followers. When showing Becky some photos on her phone, I guessed very early on one of the plot twists of the film.

Obviously given the film genre we just know everything in the build up to them climbing is going to be something that is an issue! All of the little details that are then going to be significant later in the plot. Naturally climbing something that is one that tall and two abandoned and not maintained anymore was a truly terrible idea. We know this even before watching the film, you just have to look at the poster and it will raise your anxiety levels!

The genius around the film is actually its ability to create so much tension, seriously I was rather blown away by that. Felt so uncomfortable watching as they began climbing, we get the close up shots of nuts/bolts coming away and looking as though they are going to buckle at any point. You will find yourself holding your breath, wanting to close your eyes and physically feeling uncomfortable just sitting in a seat watching it. That for me is fantastic filmmaking in that sense of being able to make viewers feel that way as it really is terrifying!

Hanging off the sides to take photos seriously will increase your heart rate as well, I actually felt a little bit silly at times when watching it as was like its not even real its just. film! Not like the climbing documentaries I have watched in the past, but to have levels of tension in that manner was something rather impressive.

It does have two little plot twists and while as I mentioned guessing the one early when seeing the photo. The other was a little bit more of the psychological side and I was not expecting that, even though it made a lot more sense!

Gace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner do very well for engagement throughout the film, given the majority of the film is the climb and then being stuck at the top. Jeffrey Dean Morgan offering some good support and a small role for Mason Gooding which is mainly in flashback form!