"Googly googly"

A film I recently happened to stumble upon, ironically, was The Fall. I'd heard of the book by Camus, and the alternative band... but not the film; so I cautiously approached it, deciding it would not be as sophisticated or as complex as either. I was wrong.

Like Blame it on Fidel, the young actress in this picture is mesmerising, her foreign accent adding to the sense of childish innocence and learning throughout. It grips the attention of the viewer constantly by mediating between 1920's hospital scenes and a colourful fictional world where bandits seek revenge. In fact, pairing it with Blame it on Fidel, this picture does more than tell a story, it explores more philosophical 'adult' issues through the eyes of a child; in this case, suicide. Thus it also fits into the same category as Pan's Labyrinth, taking the similar route of child-indulges-in-fantasy-world-to-cope-with-harsh-realities-of-life.

But it is not pretentious, or long-winded, or conservative for that matter. Its beautiful slow-mo intro is reminiscent of a silent film, but moulded up to today's standards. And the ending provides us snippets of silent movies as a reminder that not only actors should be hailed, for there are many unsees faces backstage.