’Fall’ review: Dir. Scott Mann [FrightFest]

Each year Arrow Video FrightFest manages to go out on a resounding high. Closing films of recent years such as Train to Busan, The Sadness, and Tragedy Girls, are just a handful of examples of the quality that ends the festival. This time, to ensure maximum impact, the organisers are planning to go out on a literal high with Scott Mann’s Fall. The story places two friends trapped atop a 2000-foot radio tower with no help in sight.

An assault to the senses from the start, Fall begins as it intends to continue, It joins a trio of climbers – married couple Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Dan (Mason Gooding), and their friend Hunter (Virginia Gardner) – on an ascent up the mountain. The action begins immediately with the climbers already part-way through scaling a cliff and a sudden accident triggers a tragedy that results in the death of Dan), which has a lasting impact on all the events that follow. The story then picks up a very precise fifty-one weeks later and reveals that Becky is still struggling with the loss of her spouse. Going from high-energy action and calamity to sombre portrait of grief and addiction induces whiplash, but the emotional core of Fall is just as important as its spectacle side.

After Becky’s father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) grows more concerned about her wellbeing, he enlists the help of Hunter who has since become a daredevil influencer who spends her time travelling the world doing death-defying feats on camera for the enjoyment of her followers. Keen to comfort and reinvigorate her friend, Hunter propositions Becky with an ultimate extreme sport: a climb to the top of a 2000-foot abandoned radio tower structure. Initially reticent, Becky eventually agrees and the pair set out on their adventure. 

Whilst on paper it seems mad that Becky would agree to this insane feat, her reasons make some sense. So often in these high-stakes situational stories the logic behind the characters’ decisions is paper-thin. There are so many instances of characters deciding to do some stunt or similar that they are in no way prepared for. Here, both Becky and Hunter are strong climbers. Becky may be out of practice with the activity, but she still has the core strength and fortitude required. By taking the time to validate the girls as being capable, Fall helps align the viewer and the characters, a move that will be vital once the pair end up in distress.  

As the long climb to the top of the tower starts, Mann’s attempts at nerve manipulation begins in earnest. Even for those that haven’t read or watched the trailer, it’s quickly clear that something in Fall is going to go wrong. Mann takes great delight in teasing exactly when this will be. In an attempt to put the jitters through the audience, Mann makes the audience privy to every structural groan and croak, and the slightest loosening of any bolt. It’s masterful work, Mann driving the anxiety levels through the roof. Meanwhile, Becky and Hunter are somewhat oblivious to the danger ahead. As the viewer starts to worry more about the pair, Fall finally reaches its pivotal moment – the collapse of the tower’s ladder that leaves the women stranded. As with the opening, this sequence is high-action and drama. Mann is no stranger to action and his experience here shines. 

Once stuck, the friends try everything in their limited arsenal to get help. The two are fairly savvy and possess some next-level MacGyver skills. They create a variety of equipment for their life-saving attempts and prove that both of them are more than just a pretty face. It being a film about people stuck, their efforts are more often in vain, but their ability to try at least, stops the viewer from screaming at them to try the glaringly obvious move that could save them. 

The tension utop the tower is nail-biting. The fact that both Currey and Gardner were genuinely 2000-feet above ground (a rig was constructed on the ledge of a mountain) really helps to sell this. There’s a horrible sense that at any moment one, or both, could tumble from the structure and it causes a real pit to form in your stomach. Mann is so adept at creating tension that the viewer will impart far too much emotion and care into a mobile phone. The girls quickly lose one in a bid for help, and so the other becomes their only lifeline. Concerned that the high structure is interfering with their ability to get a signal, they attempt to move the phone below them. Watching the two try and lower the device to a point where they can get reception becomes almost too much to bear. 

As the situation progresses, some of the film’s energy begins to sap. Much like Becky and Hunter themselves, Fall starts to run out of steam. At this point, Fall probes into the relationship between the girls. A distance has formed in the wake of Dan’s death; the underlying cause is pretty obvious and a tad on the tropey side. That aside, the performances of Currey and Gardner sell the story, and watching Becky and Hunter work through their issues is a welcome distraction from the vertigo-inducing visuals. 

If it wasn’t clear from the title or the premise, Fall is not a film for those with an aversion to heights. In fact, Mann’s construction of shots and camera angle is so intense that even those with no such fear will struggle. Fall is one of those films throughout which the viewer will have sweaty palms and a lump in their throat. Just like Becky and Hunter on the platform, the audience will have their heart in their mouths and adrenaline will surge through their bodies. It all makes for a toe-curling and intense viewing experience, but the visceral nature of watching it is one of Fall’s greatest strong suits.

Fall was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest 2022. Fall arrives in UK cinemas on Friday 2nd September 2022.