Fall to Grace (2005)
When you know about films and you
go to a film festival and you see a great film like
"Fall to Grace," you wonder what the filmmaker was
thinking. Yes, this is a great story. Yes, there is
a great script and a great cast to bring it to life.
The cinematography is top-notch; the music is great;
and the editing is nearly perfect. But who is ever
going to get to see the film? This isn't the kind
of film that the majors pick up. It's shot on video
and has no gimmick. The smaller indy distribs aren't
going to touch it because it isn't perverse, doesn't
have a minor celebrity, isn't a documentary, and isn't
edgy in any sense of the word. TV will not likely
be interested either for almost all the same reasons.
"Fall to Grace" is like an excellent ballad by your
favorite local singer. You love it. You know it's
good. But in the back of your mind, you know it will
never get played on the radio.
This is one of those interesting
local films that got made in Austin that will never
leave our city limits. Perhaps filmmaker and writer
Mari Marchbanks is only hoping to use this as a calling
card. I can only hope that like Kat Candler, who made
the exceptionally and equally uncommercial "Cicadas,"
Marchbanks continues to make films that get accepted
to festivals until someone gives her a chance to make
a real film.
I wrote down all the characters
names so I could go on line and find out the actor's
names but not a single on-line source that I can find
lists the actor's credits by their character's names.
I think it is Gabriel Luna who plays Christopher,
a teenage Russian immigrant. Whoever it is that plays
Chris is one of the most natural, relaxed, charming
and attractive young man ever to appear in a film.
This guy can win you over with just a smile. He is
so effective in his role that he sways us easily into
the film. We like him. We care about him. (I'll list
some other actor's names end the "Notes" at the bottom
of this review.)
And it is important that we care
about the characters here. Marchbanks juggles no less
than four interconnected storylines and yet she never
once drops the ball. We always understand what is
happening and we can always easily follow the complex
interactions between the characters. This is a genuinely
well written script. There's a real heart and soul
within this movie and we grow to care easily about
what is going on. Marchbanks skirts around "After
School Special" territory with her subplot here but
the film never really falls into that abhorrent vibe.
While her script is often guilty of being optimistic
and bordering on sentimentality, the cast carries
such weight with us that we don't mind these seeming
pitfalls.
"Fall to Grace" is shot by a friend
of a friend of mine, Jay P. Lipa, so I can be accused
of being biased. See the film and judge for yourself.
You'll agree that this is one of the most perfectly
lit and beautifully shot films you've seen in ages.
Lipa gives the film a glow that exposes the heart
of the piece. His images are sharp and clear yet the
express the theme and the subtlety of the script.
This is a beautiful picture to look at.
It is rare that a local film in
Austin offers up such complex characters and motivations,
such thoughtful themes and warm hopefulness. Candler's
"Cicadas" may have been the last one to do it as successfully
as this film. With its exposure at SXSW 2005, "Fall
to Grace" joins the ranks of great low- budget, independent,
Austin-based films like "Cicadas,"
"Slacker," "The
Slow Business of Going," and "Dear
Pillow."
Notes:
Also with David Stokey (who I now
forgive for "The M.O. of M.I."),
Kira Pozehl, Jessica Roque, Bhagirit Crow, Bill Johnson,
Jeffrey Mills, Julia Polozova, Cassidy Rose Johnson,
Amparo Garcia, J. Ed Arazia, Heather Hanna, Dean Stafford,
Adriene Mishler, Rene Alvarado, Lee Eddy and Rick
Azulay.
With great local music included
on the soundtrack.
Other Austin filmmakers whose names
I recognized in the credits included Courtney Davis
and Chris Ohlson.
Viewed at SXSW in March 2005.
