By: Renae Richardson
Survival films, when done right, put you right in the action and raise adrenaline to a critical point. The 2022 feature film Fall perfected that, and now the trailer for Fall 2 has dropped this week, delivering sixty seconds that will have you gripping your armrest and forgetting to breathe. If the original left you with sweaty palms and a fear of heights you did not know you had, this first look at the sequel suggests the follow-up will not let you off easy.
Survival as a Cinema Tradition
The survival film is a subgenre of cinema. It is recognized as a subset of the adventure category, and as enthusiasts know, the adventure classification has been around a long time. Respectively, the survival niche has been around just as long, whether directly termed that or not. One of the earlier survival films was released in 1939: Five Came Back. The film was directed by John Farrow, and the synopsis is quite harrowing. Per IMDb,
“Twelve people are aboard Coast Air Line’s flagship, the Silver Queen, en route to South America when the airplane encounters a storm and is blown off course. Crashing into jungles known to be inhabited by headhunters, pilots Bill and Joe race against time to fix the engines and attempt a takeoff. The situation brings out the best and worst in the stranded dozen as they create a makeshift runway and prepare to escape before the natives attack.”
The classification included adventure, survival, thriller, and romance.
The Human Test
What makes the survival film so compelling is the way it summons the human spirit to withstand whatever situation it has been placed in. Resources are usually few, isolation is common, and nature is often the ultimate antagonist. Still, that is not always the case. Many survival films conjure absolute fear because they reflect real-life horrors. They ask what happens when the only resources you can depend on are the ones you must develop out of the fertile soil of the mind. They also ask a question some of us dare to face, or even answer if posed: What would you do if thrust into the unknown, devoid of human, social, and manufactured accoutrements to assist you?
The Fear Factor in Fall 1
Fall 1 fits squarely within that framework. It begins with a tragedy that sends adventurer Becky Conner into a depression, and rock climbing remains her chosen pursuit. When a friend pushes her to climb in an effort to relieve that grief, the push does the trick, but not without testing the limits of her human capabilities. That decision leads her into a most nightmarish situation, one in which there is little left of the mental space needed to grieve because survival requires every faculty she has.
The film runs for 120 minutes of pure nerve-racking narrative. “Edge of the seat” was an apt descriptor for the experience. Whether the actual story was strong is a matter for another discussion. What could not be denied was that it nailed its intent and firmly represented its genre classification.
Why Fall 2: Deadpoint Matters
Fall 2: Deadpoint. Image Source: Lionsgate.
That same tension carries into Fall 2: Deadpoint, which arrives this fall. Once again, the story places two adventurers at the mercy of nature and an isolated playing field. Once again, grief becomes the force that propels the journey forward. As the logline reflects,
“Grieving her sister Shiloh’s death, Jax Hunter bonds with Shiloh’s bold friend Luce. They tackle Mount Kwan’s dangerous plank walk in Thailand. When a rockslide traps them on a narrow plank 3000 feet up, Jax must face her fears to survive.”
It is a deadly scenario and the kind of setup that promises another heart-pounding experience.
The Trailer Effect
If Fall 1 made it onto your watchlist, then Fall 2: Deadpoint is likely an easy addition. For those who are still unsure, the trailer alone is enough to savor what is ahead.
Original article
Comments