FALLING | FILM REVIEW
Dir: Viggo Mortensen (15, 114 mins)
Aragorn from Lord Of The Rings makes his directorial debut with this superb family drama, boasting a powerhouse performance from cult actor Lance Henriksen. Mortensen is John, a son caring for his cantankerous, dementia-suffering father, played by a brilliant Henriksen. John is a middle-aged gay man, married to his partner Eric (Terry Chen) with a young daughter Monica (Gabby Vellis), but is shouldering the care for his deteriorating farmer dad. Foul-mouthed, racist, misogynist and homophobic, his father is a difficult man to handle.
As the film unfolds, glimpses of their earlier homelife are seen via dreamy flashback and more grounded visceral scenes. The adultery, the ill treatment of his wives and his son and daughter are seen through the lenses of both son and father, making for a rich, multi-layered drama. Henriksen – so excellent as Bishop in Aliens and a whole host of cult movies from Near Dark to the Millennium TV series – really gets a chance to shine as the appalling father who still induces sympathy despite the awful way he treats his family. Chastising his grandchildren for their hair colour, piercings and nascent sexuality, he’s unable to let go of the bitterness resulting from his wife Gwen having left years ago, cheating on him with the postman after his continuous mistreatment of her and the family.
Mortensen is subdued, absorbing all of the abuse until a firework of a confrontation scene that explodes all that pent-up emotion with gripping, devastating effect. He proves a sensitive, nuanced director, creating poetic imagery amidst superb performances as Henriksen remembers the beautiful moments of his early years as well as the painful ones. Mortensen also turns in a winningly stoic performance: unlike anything he’s shown before, having been forced into the cast to secure the film’s financing. Laura Linney cameos as his sister and master of horror and David Cronenberg, who directed Mortensen in History Of Violence and Eastern Promises, cameos as an oncologist for Henriksen. Moving, detailed and ultimately hopeful, this is a gruelling but beautiful family drama.
Out on digital download now
words KEIRON SELF