Vigo Mortensen makes his directorial debut in ‘Falling,’ and it is notable that this film was featured in several film festivals: Sundance, Cannes, Toronto and San Sebastian. The film is a story about a son (Mortensen) and a father, played by Lance Henriksen. Specifically it’s about a homophobic father and his gay son who has to take care of him. Needless to say, that set up piqued my interest, and was so looking forward to seeing this.

I knew this was going to be heavy, but perhaps it was way too heavy for me right now. It did feel like you were spending time with a belligerent elderly who is spewing bile remarks non-stop. It took my patience to even sit through some of the scenes, and I couldn’t help but keep wishing for the film to end. Perhaps the acting was too good and so believable? Mortensen plays his role subtly, a contrast to Henriksen’s over the top, and hysterical performance.

The film also lacks a bit of narrative. It gives us flashbacks to when the son was a kid, but the present story doesn’t bring you anywhere, and while I like a lot of the directorial choices, I am left to wonder what the film is trying to say.