Review of Fall

I cried. And cried and cried. Some films simply remind you of relationships, others evoke emotional experiences (should you have any) for relationships gone south, some tease you with relationships that might have been. "Fall" incorporates all of these. First off, my primary recollection from the 3 or 4 times I've enjoyed watching "Fall" is the ending. Sarah is in Paris, exiting some chic place with Phillipe. Michael, who has flown to Paris in desperate need to re-connect with her, tracks her down (magically) and sees her exiting. He looks at her, she looks at him, she non-verbally gestures "no, don't connect with me any more"--- and he breaks down in sobs. As do I, even as I'm writing this. The longing for true love on his face—the yearning for a love than can never be fully returned—is one of the best, if not THE best, portrayal of unrequited love I have ever seen in any film. Bar none. Heart-breaking sobs. You, who berate this film for Eric Schaeffer's self-indulgence and egoism, must never have felt this type of unrequited love, and for you I feel sorry (or not—I guess it's easier to be ignorant in love but wise in film criticism). For the rest of us, he struck a chord that is rarely approached in film. Forget the strap-on, dismiss the socioeconomic disconnect, don't fret over the boastfulness—this film simply nailed that painful yearning for true love that some romantics still treasure. The dialog touches many of us as personally poignant but that "film" critics interpret as trite. I could wax eloquent about the cinematography—especially one scene where Sarah is walking past a piece d'art depicting waves (get the metaphor, duh!) with an equivalently apt soundtrack—but the arrogant, non-romantic film critics would dismiss this as being self-indulgent. You know, sometimes we need self-indulgence—especially when it comes to relationships! Give me those scenes that touch my heart, expand my senses, and evoke my passion. If you want to be really TOUCHED by a film, see Fall. You won't be disappointed (unless you've taken Film Criticism 101, in which case cynicism trumps romanticism).