The Free Fall
| The Free Fall | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Adam Stilwell |
| Written by | Kent Harper |
| Produced by | Sean E. DeMott Gill Gayle Paul Holbrook Patrick Rizzotti |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | James Kniest |
| Edited by | Peter Gvozdas |
| Music by | Joseph Bishara |
Production companies | Crossroad Productions Execution Style Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures |
Release dates | 7 October 2021 (Grimmfest Film Festival) 14 January 2022 (US) |
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Free Fall is a 2021 American horror drama film directed by Adam Stilwell, starring Andrea Londo, Shawn Ashmore and Jane Badler.
Plot
Recently wed Sarah witnesses her mother murder her father and attempts suicide in the bathtub. She awakens to her husband, Nick, but she has little memory of what happened before she woke up. She remembers things but their appearances are altered, such as Nick and her clothing styles.
Sarah has several strange interactions with Rose, her and Nick's maid. Throughout the happening Nick gives her pills while working on a book. At a banquet Sarah stabs an attendee with a fork and is taken to a bathtub where Nick attends to her in a pig mask. Frightened, she runs and is given a key by a stranger who is a friend of Sarah's sister Julie. Sarah runs into the library and finds that Nick's book contains nothing but the word "apple" hundreds of times. Sarah uses the key.
She wakes up and it is revealed the stranger is actually a priest who is performing an exorcism on Sarah, and Nick is actually a demon who has been possessing her. Rose's identity is unrevealed but in reality Sarah is in a mental hospital. Julie turns to Sarah and gives her the same pills Nick was giving her, and the demon that now possesses Julie proclaims that things will be different now. The film ends zoomed on Sarah's eye.
Cast
- Andrea Londo as Sarah
- Shawn Ashmore as Nick
- Jane Badler as Rose
- Michael Berry Jr. as Tom
- Elizabeth Cappuccino as Julie
- Dominic Hoffman as Dr. Sims
- Lorenzo Antonucci as Bobby
- Marc Senter as Marc
- Nathaniel Peterson as Nathaniel
- Madeleine Coghlan as Madeline
- Diane Ayala Goldner as Veiled Woman
- Jackie Dallas as Annette
- Samuel Davis as Kevin
Release
The film premiered at the Grimmfest Film Festival on 7 October 2021.[1]
Reception
Sharai Bohannon of Dread Central rated the film 5 stars out of 5 and called it "equal parts haunting, disturbing, and beautiful."[2]
Jenn Adams of Rue Morgue called the film a "haunting and relentless journey through a beautiful nightmare".[3]
Alex Sakaliev of Film Threat gave the film a score of 5/10 and praised Kniest's "smooth, long tracking shots and exquisite framing complement the beautiful lighting and set design", as well as the performances of Londo and Ashmore. However, he criticised the "amateurish" dialogue, the "cheap shock scares" and the "over-abundance of (and reliance on) jarring flashbacks and dream sequences".[4]
References
- ^ Kasule, Melissa (9 August 2021). "UK's Grimmfest reveals 2021 festival line-up (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Bohannon, Sharai (14 November 2021). "FilmQuest Review: 'The Free Fall' is an Unforgettable Psychological Horror Experience". Dread Central. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Adams, Jenn (2 November 2021). "SALEM HORROR FEST '21 REVIEW: "THE FREE FALL" IS A TERRIFYING TWIST ON A FAMILIAR STORY". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Sakaliev, Alex (11 February 2022). "THE FREE FALL". Film Threat. Retrieved 22 December 2022.