"It was the natural order of things... all things must die." -Roy Walker, The Fall (2006)

The Fall, first and foremost, is a film about storytellers and storytelling. Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) is a young girl who is in a L.A. hospital for a broken arm in 1915. While exploring the grounds, she meets and befriends a young stuntman named Roy (Lee Pace), who is recovering from a fall himself and has ulterior motives for his friendship with Alexandria. During the course of all this, Roy begins to tell her a story involving many different heroes united in one mission to take down one common evil.

This film is an absolutely beautiful piece of cinema. From the opening credits, to the climax in the villain's mighty stronghold; every location, costume, and transition is Oscar worthy. Roger Ebert has even stated "You might want to see [The Fall] for no other reason than because it exists. There will never be another like it." The plot seems rather simple and straightforward at first, but at it's heart it's about childhood, innocence, and loss. The reality and harshness of the world being seen through the eyes of a child in the most honest and heartfelt way is a powerful thing. Sometimes to see something for what it truly is you have to see it through a child's perspective.

The blending of the real world and imagined characters is wonderfully streamline. You might even start asking yourself, where does reality end and imagination begin? Come for the gorgeous visuals, and stay for the recaptured childlike wonder.