The Falling (2014)

It's 1969 at a strict English girls' school where charismatic Abbie and intense and troubled Lydia are best friends. After a tragedy occurs at the school, a mysterious fainting epidemic breaks out threatening the stability of all involved.

Director:

Carol Morley

Writer:

Carol Morley

Stars:

Maxine Peake, Maisie Williams, Florence Pugh

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maxine Peake	...	Eileen Lamont
Maisie Williams	...	Lydia Lamont
Florence Pugh	...	Abbie Mortimer
Anna Burnett	...	Susan
Greta Scacchi	...	Miss Edith Mantel
Hannah Rose Caton	...	Titch (as Rose Caton)
Lauren McCrostie	...	Gwen
Katie Ann Knight	...	Connie
Evie Hooton	...	Janet
Monica Dolan	...	Miss Martha Alvaro
Mathew Baynton	...	Mr Hopkins
Morfydd Clark	...	Miss Pamela Charron
Joe Cole	...	Kenneth Lamont
Elizabeth Marsh	...	Miss Fanshawe
Hannah Stokely	...	Miss Ash

Storyline

It's 1969 at a strict English girls' school where charismatic Abbie and intense and troubled Lydia are best friends. After a tragedy occurs at the school, a mysterious fainting epidemic breaks out threatening the stability of all involved.

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Plot Keywords:

incest | neglectful mother | fake fainting | fainting | brother sister incest | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2015 (UK)

Also Known As:

Eszmélet

Filming Locations:

Carmel College, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon and Morley Productions, Independent, BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The poem in voiceover "There was a time when meadow, grove and stream..." is 'Ode on intimations of immortality' by William Wordsworth.

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Crazy Credits

Disclaimer near the end of the credits: "Although this film was inspired by a variety of real episodes of mass psychogenic illnesses, the narrative is entirely fictional."

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Connections

Featured in Film 2017: Episode #44.3 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Alternative School Orchestra Theme
Devised and performed by Hannah Rose Caton, Evie Hooton, Katie Ann Knight, Lauren McCrostie, Florence Pugh and Maisie Williams
Additional music, vocals and arrangement by Tracey Thorn

User Reviews

Beguiling mystery/drama film

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In the late 60s, at an all girls school with a strict stance on discipline, straight laced Lydia (Maisie Williams) and her promiscuous mate Abbie (Florence Pugh) are going through the trials and tribulations of school life. When Abbie falls pregnant, and then tragedy strikes, a mysterious fainting spell strikes the girls at the school and then to others, leading to a mysterious ritual in the forest.

This unusual offering appeared out of nowhere in a few theatres last April, an out the way offering with a mysterious allure about it. Smaller scale, independent films often get less publicity, which in some cases can make them all the more of a treat. A lot of opinion seems to be divided, but for me, Carol Morley's blend of horror and drama is a promise that doesn't pay off, with an impressive, quiet sense of atmosphere about it, but an incomprehensible story that's impossible to get in to.

Something about it's eerie nature keeps you with it to the end, but with such a flimsily established story and characters you end up unable to really feel for, the end result is not as great as hoped. One thinks Morley was too obsessed with reaching for an art house flair, at the expense of making something that had any chance of translating to an audience. **