Screenwriting: See “The Fall” while you can
I caught this gem recently on the strength of its trailer, and I definitely don’t regret it. Visually stunning and filled with subtle heart, it’s worth your time.
Here’s the summary: a little girl and a young man are both in a hospital, recovering from injuries; his are grievous, caused by a stunt he attempted for the love of a woman. They become friends, and he begins to tell her a fantastic story of epic heroes and villainy, filled with adventure in improbable places, like the Arabian Nights or any folk tale you can name. The director, Tarsem (The Cell with Jennifer Lopez), shows off both his music video chops and his love of incredible international locations with the settings.
The screenwriting genius here is that the young man is in a lot of pain, physically and emotionally, and he’s telling the story to entice the girl to steal morphine for him, perhaps to reduce his pain, perhaps to hide from reality, and perhaps to kill himself. It’s based on an obscure little foreign film with a much smaller budget called Yo Ho Ho, which you can find at IMDB.
Tarsem made this as a labor of love over the course of five years. It stars virtual unknowns, and that’s my best guess as to why you haven’t heard of it. This movie deserves to be seen on the big screen. Trust me.
