"Fall"

Fall is a survival thriller film, stripped down to all the essentials, with two young women and a tall tower. That's it. The young women in question are Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner). The tower is a 2000-feet-high broadcast tower out in the desert. One year after the death of Becky's husband in a climbing accident, Becky is jolted out of her alcoholism and grief by Hunter, who suggest that they climb to the top of a tall broadcast tower and spread Dan's ashes there. The rickety tower doesn't inspire much confidence in Becky, but she climbs nonetheless. As the two climb, we are treated to shots of bolts slowly coming loose from the ladder, but the women make it to the top without incident. They take some photos and begin to climb back down when the ladder falls apart.

The film is very effective in causing anxiety for viewers, with constant shots of the height of the tower reminding the audience that the two women are at the top of a very tall tower, completely helpless and with no way down. With only limited resources, they must use everything they have at their disposal and every method they can think of to get help and be rescued before they die from the myriad dangers that await them, from starvation and thirst to a pack of hungry vultures. The tension derived from the very real fear the protagonists falling to their deaths is constant and I was frankly on the edge of my seat the whole time, with a level of anxiety unmatched by the experience of watching any other film I'd seen recently.

Fall doesn't reinvent the wheel regarding survival thriller films, but it doesn't have to at all. It has all the elements you've come to expect from survival thrillers, but it wraps the whole thing up in a very minimalist yet extremely tense package. Even if there are some flaws in the character motivations and the two lead characters are not explored in much depth (though the two lead actresses certainly gave good performances and make the characters' fear believable), the sheer excitement, anxiety, and pure adrenaline rush afforded by the film made for a lean and very entertaining watch. 8/10!

If you've seen the film, which part gave you the most thrills/anxiety?