TIFF 2020: Falling
tiff 2020Viggo Mortensen is an actor who has captivated audiences for decades with a recent string of Academy Award nominations. For the first time in his multi-decade career, Mortensen is not only working in front of the camera but also behind it, making both his directorial and screenwriting debut in Falling. The story follows a man named John (Viggo Mortensen) who is having his temperamental and often problematic elderly father, Willis (Lance Henriksen) visit himself and his husband, Eric (Terry Chen). Mortensen blends reality with fiction, meditating on aspects of his own childhood while adding in a conversation surrounding the changing of mindsets; he explores the complex effects of sexual identity on family relationships. Where Mortensen's efforts are absolutely respectable, the final product clearly strives for more depth than it actually holds, with a clear lack of experience in fundamental areas of the filmmaking process.
Viggo Mortensen shines within the film where he is most comfortable. In front of the camera, the performance and action is filled to the brim with passion. Furthermore, there is a genuine effort to evoke the complicated emotions that are supposed to live within the character; he is nice but not flawless. He has his breaking point and, as he slowly reaches that point, the performance from Mortensen is skilful at showing the small cracks starting to break. In the other corner stands Lance Henriksen who, despite having far less of a complicated identity, fills his role effectively enough. These two actors have a good amount of chemistry, not just in their ability to get on each other’s nerves but also in their ability to resolve their small arguments, finding at least a surface amount of love for one another that cools the fire just enough for the relationship to function to some degree.
Where these character dynamics might work, the film itself struggles greatly when it comes to its screenplay. Although, on paper, it might seem like the film’s narrative – in which it cuts back and forth from John in the present day as an adult to back when he was a child – would be where the script gets messy. The real flaws, however, come in when the film has to find conflict. In its attempts to show micro-aggressions against the LGBTQ+ community and how unendingly stressful it can be to deal with homophobic family figures, the film feels incredibly forced and disingenuous. Nearly every fight and act of discrimination that Willis throws at his son feels almost comedically crafted. The fights themselves feel void of authenticity which, despite not standing out too much to straight audiences, will absolutely stand out to LGBTQ+ audiences who have to deal with micro-aggressions every day. This is yet another clear example of Viggo Mortensen struggling to step outside his comfort zone, writing a perspective he simply doesn't have. The film also fails to reach an ultimately larger conclusion, falling into a circular routine of John and Willis having a good time, Willis being problematic and John accepting it while being embarrassed for those around them all too often. Eventually, this routine loses its impact and, by the end, it felt like the film had failed to take the next step that it was eyeing up the entire runtime which would have given it the same nuance and impact as a film such as Honey Boy.
Where the screenplay from Mortensen is lacking, his talents as a director are luckily much better. Undeniably helped by the film's smart editing coming from Ronald Sanders, Mortensen holds the ropes steady as he navigates a complex narrative that jumps between multiple times in John's life. Even if the actual content and voice from these scenes failed to impress, the fact that this narrative choice worked so easily speaks to Mortensen's ability as a filmmaker, which is even more impressive when put into the context of the film being his directorial debut.
Falling might not be one of the best films of the year but it is clearly an inspired first outing from Viggo Mortensen who, despite some first-time mistakes, shows a decent amount of promise both as a screenwriter and especially as a director. It is hard to recommend the film to most, but for those curious at what Mortensen's direction would be behind the camera, it is also far from unwatchable. Had the screenplay been cleaner and more authentic, it would have possibly had the backbone to be something truly special, even if it ultimately failed to reach those expectations.
