What is the most underrated movie?

I feel in many ways there are so many movies that fall into this category.  Sometimes I even feel as if some of my guilty pleasure films fall into this category.  There are films out there though that truly touch us that yet so few people have ever heard of for some reason.  The good thing about video movie stores is that they let us peruse the store and allow us to rent films we would otherwise never see.  This is not because the films are all trash and were not released in theaters, but because these films are the ones that arrive at populated theaters and leave after a week.  No one is seeing these films because they don’t get enough advertisement, but that does not mean they aren’t amazing in their own right.  The Fall is one of those films for me.  A treasure I found while working at Blockbuster.  My friend watched the film first and insisted I needed to watch it as as well.  I’m so glad I listened.

Day 22: The most underrated movie – The Fall

I’m going to take a second and explain this film to everyone reading.  The film takes place in Los Angeles in the 1920s.  The film primarily takes place between a child, Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), who suffers from a broken arm and an older man she befriends, Roy Walker (Lee Pace), who is dealing with the paralysis of his legs after a fall on a movie set.  Alexandria then insists that Roy tell her a story, which takes them on an elaborate ride to kill a corrupt governor.  Between the story audiences see the real interaction between the two and how their friendship grows over the length of the story.

And it’s honestly one of the most beautiful and breathtaking stories to watch unfold.  At first we do this debate that he only really wants to get more morphine from the little girl.  There is even a part of us that become convinced that is the only reason he continues to tell her this story, but by the end of the film one realizes that he needs her as much as she needs him.  There is a bond formed that is more of a father/daughter bond that touches my heart by the time all is said and done.  Between the two of them I went through a plethora of emotions and was grateful for each and every one they made me feel.

In addition to a wonderful story, the film is absolutely gorgeous.  From the vivid colors used in each and every scene to the striking costumes there is nothing visually disappointing with The Fall. Each and every turn provides audiences with stunning effects and blocking of scenes that please the eyes. The filmmaker dazzles audiences and reminds us that while something is achingly beautiful on the outside, sometimes the disillusionment of adulthood creeps out. All the while the film shakes audiences from its story back to reality and a child’s hope that all is well that ends well.

Through looking up information throughout the years on the film, and stills because the film is absolutely breathtaking, I discovered that the film is a remake of a 1981 Bulgarian film, Yo ho ho.  I have yet to say I have seen the original, but I have to admit that my curiosity is rare in this case in wonderment if the original lives up to its remake.

Ultimately, I’d be lying if I said I did not want to at least try to view the film somehow.  Though finding time to sit down and read subtitles outside of a theater is somehow harder for me than I’m willing to admit.  More on that at a later date.  My whole point is sometimes we have to give films a chance.  They might not be our blockbusters, which I enjoy as well, but that does not mean that they are not worth watching.  A-listers are not always needed for a great film and sometimes that actually even makes them better.