"The Free Fall" is a really well done horror thriller that delivers the goods. The movie starts with a bang, as Sara (played by Andrea Londo) goes to her parents house to help them celebrate their anniversary only to be greeted by a horrific scene. Next time we see her, she is in bed recovering from a suicide attempt. She has lost most of her memory due to the traumatic events of her life (including the suicide attempt) and her husband Nick (Shawn Ashmore) tries to help her recover her life and memory. He starts reminding her of their life and explaining the events that unfolded after the events at the beginning of the movie caused her to spiral out of control. Sara starts feeling better, but as time goes on, she starts to get flashes of memories, she sees and hears things that she is assured aren't there and she starts to get the feeling something is just off...
Look, this is a horror film. So we know from the outset this isn't going to end up with Sara simply regaining her memory and living happily ever after. The movie knows we know that, too, and cleverly plays with our expectations. Nick does something that makes us say, "Aha! He's the bad guy!" and then he does something that makes us say, "Oh, maybe not. He seems to be the good guy." There is a housekeeper named Rose who acts weird and we think we know what's going on, and then we think that maybe it's all in Sara's head and Rose was acting fine. And I gotta admit -- the denouement took me by surprise. I've seen a LOT of horror movies so to have one make me say, "Whoa! I didn't see that coming!" is really saying something.
In addition, the lead performance help drive the movie. Andrea Londo makes Sara truly likable, vulnerable, and easy to root for. And Shawn Ashmore does a wonderful job of making Nick just suspicious enough to make us worry about him, and caring enough for us to sort of feel guilty for suspecting him. And unlike many low budget films, it is well lit, well filmed, and only a couple of minor places where the sound mix makes it hard to hear.
All in all, "The Free Fall" gets a pretty high recommendation from me. Definitely worth checking out.
