The Fall

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Picture a combination of "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Princess Bride," with a sensibility closer to Bollywood than Tinseltown, and you have a vague idea of "The Fall" (Roadside), an exceedingly strange film that was 15 years in the making.

This fitfully affecting tale, filmed in 18 countries, is set in a Los Angeles hospital circa 1915, and concerns the unlikely relationship between two patients: spunky 5-year-old Alexandria (Romanian Catinca Untaru), who's broken her arm, and Roy (Lee Pace), a paralyzed and embittered movie stuntman.

Alexandria, virtually the hospital mascot, is able to roam the remarkably lax facility at will, and no one seems to mind her slipping into the adult ward and spending time at the bedside of the emotionally volatile Roy. He keeps her enthralled with an exotic story involving the Masked Bandit (Pace), which mirrors his devastating real-life breakup with his girlfriend.

Much like Dorothy's companions in "The Wizard of Oz," the characters in his story -- the Mystic (Julian Bleach), Charles Darwin (Leo Bill), ex-slave Otto Benga (Marcus Wesley), gunpowder expert Luigi (Robin Smith) and Sister Evelyn (Justine Waddell) -- have real-life counterparts in the hospital.

Together they and the Masked Bandit hope to vanquish the evil Governor Odious (Daniel Caltagirone), who's a double for Sinclair, the matinee idol who stole Roy's girlfriend.

Alexandria can't wait for each new installment, but Roy has an ulterior motive: He's hoping to win the girl's trust so she'll steal some morphine pills from the dispensary and he can end his life.

Along the way, the guileless child steals some unconsecrated Communion wafers from the chapel dispensary, thinking her friend needs food. The problematic potential of this scene is mitigated by Roy carefully asking her if she's trying to save his soul, explaining the spiritual significance of the hosts, their eating the bread and then becoming a sort of secular communion.

The single-named director Tarsem's film -- imaginative in many ways -- goes on far too long, lacks a definitive point of view, and its elaborate fantasy sequences (by turns sophomoric, serious and, at times, quite violent) are more tiresome than illuminating or even fun.

Pace, filmed here before his current starring role on ABC's "Pushing Daisies," makes a sympathetic anti-hero (and apparently Catinca and most of the cast and crew filmed all the hospital scenes thinking Pace was a paraplegic). Catinca, though adorable, is handicapped by an often impenetrable accent, and some of their exchanges have an uncomfortably improvised feel.

The nicely redemptive ending fails to compensate for a pervasively heavy and lachrymose tone throughout. (The penultimate scene between Roy and Alexandria -- both of them awash in tears -- outdoes the Shirley Temple movies of long ago.)

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The final scene glorifies the cathartic power of cinema even in those early nickelodeon days. It's a pity "The Fall" falls so short of that romanticized ideal.

The film contains action violence with bloodshed, a suicide attempt and a couple of instances of profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops