🎬 Fall (2022)


Trailer provided by Lionsgate Movies via YouTube
           

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Release Date: August 12, 2022
Genre: Survival, Psychological Thriller
Platform: Available on VOD and streaming platforms
Director: Scott Mann
Writers: Scott Mann, Jonathan Frank
Cast: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Mason Gooding, Jeffrey Dean Morgan


What do you do when you're stranded 2,000 feet in the air, with no way down and no one who knows where you are?

That’s the terrifying question at the core of Fall, a stripped-down, high-concept survival thriller that turns one of humanity’s most basic fears — heights — into a relentlessly tense, surprisingly emotional cinematic experience. Directed by Scott Mann, the film relies on its minimalist setting, strong performances, and jaw-dropping visuals to deliver a gut-churning ride that will leave you with sweaty palms and a racing heart.

It’s 127 Hours meets The Descent, but sky-high and without the creatures. Just two women, a rusting tower, and the brutal force of isolation.


The Premise: One Misstep Away from Death

The film follows Becky (Grace Caroline Currey), a woman grieving the tragic death of her husband Dan (Mason Gooding), who died in a climbing accident almost a year prior. Becky has since become reclusive and emotionally distant, drowning in grief and fear. Her best friend Hunter (Virginia Gardner), a thrill-seeking adventure vlogger, shows up with an idea to snap Becky out of her trauma: climb a decommissioned 2,000-foot TV tower in the middle of the desert.

Against better judgment, the women make the ascent. At first, it's a return to the freedom and adrenaline Becky used to love. But when the ladder gives out beneath them and the pair becomes trapped at the top with no cell signal, no supplies, and no clear way down — the real horror begins.

What follows is a white-knuckle survival tale that’s as much about physical endurance as it is about emotional reckoning.


Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner: Fear and Friendship

With only two main characters for most of the film, Fall hinges entirely on the chemistry and performances of its leads — and both actresses deliver.

Currey gives a grounded, emotionally raw performance as Becky. Her evolution from grief-stricken and hesitant to resilient and resourceful is believable and compelling. It’s not just about physical survival; it's about whether Becky can overcome the guilt that’s been eating her alive.

Gardner, as Hunter, plays the perfect foil — charismatic, daring, and a little reckless. She brings the energy of a YouTube influencer always chasing the next viral thrill, but as the story unfolds, her layers peel back to reveal someone just as haunted as Becky. Their relationship is the emotional core of the film, with quiet moments of vulnerability punctuating the tension.

The film also uses flashbacks and voice messages to bring in Mason Gooding and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in small but effective roles, grounding the story in a deeper emotional context.


Direction and Cinematography: Vertigo in HD

Let’s be clear: Fall is not for the acrophobic. The cinematography by MacGregor (yes, just one name) is breathtaking — literally. Every sweeping drone shot and overhead angle plunges you into the void below the rusting tower. The camera often lingers on trembling hands gripping bolts, shoes slipping on narrow beams, or vultures circling above like grim omens.

What’s most impressive is how much tension Mann is able to wring out of such a limited setting. There are no explosions, no monsters, and no elaborate action set pieces. Just wind, sun, metal, and the constant threat of gravity. It’s minimalist survival storytelling at its most primal — and it works.


Tension Without Gimmicks

What separates Fall from typical survival fare is its focus on realism and endurance. The film isn’t trying to shock the audience with gore or twisty plot gimmicks. Instead, it leans into the reality of its premise. The characters try everything — flares, drones, dropped notes, desperate shouts into the abyss. Nothing works. You feel their frustration, their dehydration, their quiet panic.

Some of the film’s most chilling moments are the quietest: when the sun sets and cold seeps in, when the last bit of food runs out, or when a text notification from a dead phone offers the cruelest form of hope. The pacing, while slow in the middle stretch, deliberately mirrors the dragging of time in a crisis. Days blur. Wounds fester. Sanity frays.

And then, just when you think you’ve figured out how things will end — the film delivers a gut-punch of a reveal.


Themes: Grief, Forgiveness, and the Edge of Control

Though marketed as a survival thriller, Fall is, at its core, a story about grief and how it distorts our ability to live. Becky’s trauma has frozen her life, and her journey up the tower — and back down again, metaphorically — is as much about letting go of guilt as it is about surviving physically.

Hunter’s character, on the other hand, embodies escapism: adrenaline as a coping mechanism. Her daredevil lifestyle isn’t just for content — it’s a way to avoid confronting her own regrets. Together, the characters explore themes of friendship, betrayal, and resilience, with the literal climb acting as a metaphor for the emotional climb out of trauma.


What Works, What Doesn’t

Strengths:

  • Nerve-shredding tension and a wildly effective use of vertical space
  • Strong, emotionally layered performances from Currey and Gardner
  • Gorgeous but terrifying cinematography
  • Lean runtime (about 1 hour 45 minutes) that doesn’t overstay its welcome
  • A few smart twists that deepen the emotional impact

Weaknesses:

  • Pacing drags slightly in the second act
  • Some viewers may find the setup a little implausible or the characters’ choices frustrating
  • A few visual effects shots, particularly involving vultures, slightly undercut the realism

While not perfect, Fall succeeds in doing what few thrillers manage — keeping things intimate, character-driven, and emotionally resonant, even in the face of death-defying spectacle.


Final Thoughts

Fall is a harrowing, tightly-wound thriller that proves you don’t need a big cast, elaborate setting, or over-the-top plot to create tension that sticks. With raw performances and a bold, minimalist vision, it transforms a single location — the top of a decrepit broadcast tower — into a stage for one of the most anxiety-inducing survival stories in recent memory.

It’s a film that grabs you by the gut, dares you to look down, and ultimately reminds you that survival isn’t just about escaping death — it’s about finding the will to live again.


Verdict: 4/5 stars — A dizzying survival thriller with real emotional weight and sky-high stakes.