'If you didn't know any
Hungarians and you watched this movie, you'd think we were all weird.'
- My
wife to be
Aren't they just?!
'Free Fall' is the latest work from writer-director duo György Pálfi and Zsófia Ruttkay, whose
previous works include 'Hukkle' and 'Taxidermia', two films that will make you
think that all Hungarians are weird and enjoy pig semen.
The premise for this was one that I liked: With someone jumping from
the roof of a block of flats, a short tale of the happenings in a flat from
each floor is subsequently told about the weird lives that live above and below
the ceiling. All packaged in a soundtrack by Amon Tobin.
'Free Fall', therefore, is more like a sketch show, with all the
characters held together by a connecting theme: the building they live in,
reminding very much of Sean Lock's '15 Storeys High'. All the shorts are filmed
in a different style, but all are dark comedies, though some are more on the
dark and less on the comedy.
What follows is group meditation, naked people at choir practice, uber
safe sex, a US sit-com threesome, forced re-birth, among others, with no
explanation for each offered. Some work, others less so, with the changing of
styles creating a switching from comedy, to confusion, to what?!, back to
comedy, oh a penis, etc. This creates an uneven watch, but keeps you interested
at least as to what might come next...oh, I wish I hadn't seen that!
The highlight for me is perhaps the opening credits - not a great
compliment, but better than saying the highlight was the end - with its brash Amon
Tobin soundtrack and grainy footage, like some sort of electro-punk music
video. The changing of style throughout shows some versatility from the two directors,
like the opposite styles of 'Hukkle' and 'Taxidermia' previously.
'Free fall' is good, but not great, too inconsistent to be a thoroughly
entertaining watch throughout. It wasn't quite what I expected - I expected an
episode of '15 Storeys High' - but that's 'Free Fall's' strength: surprise, delivering
the unexpected and the changing emotions that come with it; up and down like a
lift in a block of flats.
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