Falling (2020 film)

Falling is a 2020 drama film written and directed by Viggo Mortensen in his feature directorial debut.[3] The film stars Mortensen as John Peterson, a middle-aged gay man whose homophobic father Willis (Lance Henriksen) starts to exhibit symptoms of dementia, forcing him to sell the family farm and move to Los Angeles to live with John and his husband Eric (Terry Chen).[4] The film's cast also includes Sverrir Gudnason, Laura Linney, Hannah Gross and David Cronenberg.

Falling
Theatrical release poster
Directed byViggo Mortensen
Written byViggo Mortensen
Produced by
  • Viggo Mortensen
  • Daniel Bekerman
  • Chris Curling
Starring
CinematographyMarcel Zyskind
Edited byRonald Sanders
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 31, 2020 (2020-01-31) (Sundance)
  • December 4, 2020 (2020-12-04) (United Kingdom)
  • February 5, 2021 (2021-02-05) (Canada)
Running time
112 minutes
Countries
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$974,268[2]

It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2020.[4] Modern Films released it in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2020. Quiver Distribution and Mongrel Media released it in the United States and Canada on February 5, 2021.

Premise

John lives with his husband Eric in California, far from the traditional rural life he left behind years ago. His father, Willis, a headstrong man from a bygone era, lives alone on the isolated farm where John grew up. Willis's mind is declining, so John brings him west, hoping he and his sister, Sarah, can help their father find a home closer to them. Their best intentions ultimately run up against Willis's angry refusal to change his way of life in any way.

Cast

Canadian actor-directors David Cronenberg and Paul Gross have cameos as Willis' proctologists.

Production

In October 2018, it was announced Viggo Mortensen would star in the film, alongside Lance Henriksen, Sverrir Gudnason, and directing from a screenplay he wrote. Mortensen and Daniel Bekerman will serve as producers on the film under their Scythia Films banner.[5] In March 2019, Laura Linney, Hannah Gross and Terry Chen joined the cast of the film.[6]

Mortensen had not originally intended to play the lead role in the film himself, but found that since there were virtually no other major stars in the cast, committing to act in the film was the only way he was able to secure production funding.[3]

Though not an autobiographical piece, Mortensen was influenced by feelings from his upbringing.[7] One of the first scenes of the movie where Mortensen's character shoots a duck as a young boy and decides to keep the dead bird as a pet actually happened to him as a child.[8]

Filming

Principal photography began in March 2019.[9] Filming took place in Los Angeles and Northern Ontario.

Release

It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2020.[10] It screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival in September.[11] It was released in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2020, by Modern Films.[12][13] In December 2020, Quiver Distribution acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film and set it for a February 5, 2021, release.[14] It was released in Canada on February 5, 2021.[15]

Reception

The film has a rating of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 96 reviews and an average of 6.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "As messy and complex as the relationship at its center, Falling's repetitive nature can be taxing, but its heart is clearly in the right place."[16] Metacritic reports a score of 66 out of 100 based on 15 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]

It won the 2020 Sebastiane Award and the award for Outstanding Achievement in Picture Editing from the Directors Guild of Canada, and received five Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, for Best Actor (Henriksen), Best Art Direction or Production Design (Carol Spier), Best Costume Design (Anne Dixon), Best Editing (Ronald Sanders) and Best Casting (Deirdre Bowen).[18]

References
  1. Alan Orange, "Viggo Mortensen Unites with Buckethead & Skating Polly for His Falling Soundtrack". Movieweb , January 28, 2021.
  2. "Falling (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  3. Tom Grater, "Viggo Mortensen talks directing debut 'Falling'; first look at family drama". Screen Daily, May 15, 2019.
  4. Robert Daniels, "‘Falling’: Viggo Mortensen’s Directorial Debut Is An Exhausting Mess (Sundance Review)". The Playlist, February 1, 2020.
  5. McNary, Dave (October 15, 2018). "Viggo Mortensen to Star, Make Directorial Debut in Family Drama 'Falling'". Variety. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  6. Wiseman, Andreas (March 21, 2019). "Laura Linney, Terry Chen & Hannah Gross Join Viggo Mortensen's Directorial Debut 'Falling', Shoot Underway In Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  7. "Viggo Mortensen Wanted to "Pose Questions" by Making 'Falling'". Observer. February 5, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  8. "Viggo Mortensen's Pet Duck - CONAN on TBS". Retrieved March 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
  9. "Viggo Mortensen is filming a movie in Toronto". blogto.com. February 13, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  10. Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  11. Wiseman, Andreas (July 30, 2020). "Toronto Sets 2020 Lineup: Werner Herzog, Regina King, Mira Nair, Francois Ozon, Naomi Kawase Titles Join Hybrid Edition". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  12. Rosser, Michael (August 7, 2020). "Modern Films acquires Hilma Af Klint, Molly Ivins docs for UK and Ireland (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  13. "Falling". Launching Films. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  14. Hipes, Patrick (December 8, 2020). "Viggo Mortensen's Directorial Debut 'Falling' Gets February U.S. Release Date In Quiver Deal – Watch New Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  15. "Falling". Mongrel Media. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  16. "Falling". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  17. "Falling (2021) Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  18. Brent Furdyk, "Canadian Screen Awards Announces 2021 Film Nominations". ET Canada, March 30, 2021.
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