| The Falling | |
|---|---|
 UK theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Carol Morley |
| Written by | Carol Morley |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Agnes Godard[1] |
| Edited by | Chris Wyatt |
| Music by | Tracey Thorn |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Metrodome UK |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £750,000[2] |
| Box office | $663,738[3] |
The Falling is a 2014 Britishdrama film written and directed byCarol Morley. The film starsMaisie Williams andFlorence Pugh (in her film debut) as best friends at an all-girls school, withGreta Scacchi,Monica Dolan,Maxine Peake, andMathew Baynton in supporting roles.
The Falling premiered at theBFI London Film Festival on 11 October 2014, and was released in the United Kingdom on 24 April 2015.[4]
In 1969, Lydia and Abbie are best friends and classmates at an English girls' school. Lydia has a fixation on Abbie and has recently begun to explore more of her sexuality. After having sex with Lydia's brother Kenneth in an attempt to abort her pregnancy with another boy, Abbie begins to suffer from fainting spells, going into convulsions after a stint in detention with Lydia which leads to her death. Following Abbie's burial, Lydia begins suffering from similar fainting spells, and it soon becomes an epidemic, with numerous girls and a young teacher at the school spontaneously passing out for no more than a few seconds. Lydia becomes convinced that the administration must take action, much to the chagrin of the school's principal.
When an assembly is disrupted by a mass fainting episode, the school is temporarily shut down and all affected students are hospitalised and psychoanalysed. When no cause for the fainting spells is discovered, the school is reopened and Lydia is expelled. That same night, Lydia loses her virginity when she has sex with Kenneth, to whom she had developed an incestuous attraction after Abbie's death. Lydia'sagoraphobic and neglectful mother Eileen catches them in the act and angrily kicks Kenneth out of the house before launching into a tirade against her own daughter, revealing that she and Kenneth are only half-siblings; Lydia herself being the product ofrape.
Distraught by this revelation, Lydia flees the house as Eileen follows her, the first time she has ventured outside the house in over sixteen years. Searching for Lydia, Eileen is overcome with flashbacks of her rape before locates Lydia, who, in a breakdown over Abbie's death, has climbed to the top of a tree near the school where she and Abbie spent their time together. Lydia challenges her mother's lack of maternal affection before losing her footing and falling into the lake. A frantic Eileen ventures into the water, finding her daughter’s seemingly drowned body and cradles her in despair. Lydia unexpectedly regains consciousness as they embrace and reconcile.
BFI funded the film £750K.[5] Production began in October 2013.[6] The soundtrack is byTracey Thorn. Morley asked Thorn to provide the music for the film after editing had begun.[7]
The Falling premiered at theBFI London Film Festival on 11 October 2014.[8] It had a limited release in the United Kingdom, grossing £442,177 with a further £10,051 grossed in New Zealand.[9] US DVD sales amounted to another £6,406.[10]
Rotten Tomatoes, areview aggregator, reports that 73% of 37 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.8/10.[11] The site’s consensus states, “Well-acted and overall unsettling,The Falling delivers thought-provoking thrills -- and suggests a bright future for writer-director Carol Morley.”[11]
Mark Adams ofScreen International wrote, "It is a film that will resonate with some but leave others exasperated, butThe Falling is certainly a bold film and one to be admired and appreciated."[12] Guy Lodge ofVariety called it "an imperfect but alluring study of psychological contagion that marks an auspicious advance in the field of narrative filmmaking for acclaimed docu maker Carol Morley".[13]
Leslie Felperin ofThe Hollywood Reporter called it "a flawed but fascinating period study of female friendship and hysteria".[14] Trevor Johnston ofTime Out London rated it four out of five stars and wrote, "Carol Morley shows startling versatility and ambition with this jawdropping mash-up ofIf... andPicnic at Hanging Rock".[15] Mike McCahill ofThe Daily Telegraph rated it four out of five stars and called it a continuation of the themes inNicolas Roeg'sPerformance andDon't Look Now.[16]
Geoffrey Macnab ofThe Independent rated it four out of five stars and wrote, "Carol Morley'sThe Falling is beguiling and disturbing, a beautifully made and very subtle affair that combines melodrama, rites of passage and supernatural elements in an utterly intriguing way."[17]Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian rated it five out of five stars and wrote, "Director Carol Morley has come up with another brilliant and very distinctive feature, about an epidemic of fainting that grips a girls school in the 1960s."[18]
Elise Nakhnikian ofSlant Magazine gave a less favourable review, writing that "the film all leads to a melodramatic climax that wraps up the main character's explosive acting out in a too-neat package."[19] David Jenkins ofLittle White Lies also gave an unfavourable review, writing, "Carol Morley follows up the mesmerisingDreams of a Life with a tedious period drama set in an all-girls school."[20]
Simon Wessely writing inThe Lancet Psychiatry noted that the film "beautifully captured" the original 1973 case report of an episode of mass psychogenic illness that was its inspiration.[21]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | BFI London Film Festival | Best British Newcomer | Florence Pugh | Nominated | [22] |
| Best Film | Carol Morley | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | London Film Critics' Circle | Young British/Irish Performer Of The Year | Maisie Williams | Won | [23] |
| 2016 | Evening Standard British Film Awards | Rising Star | Won | [24] |
