The Fall
For a very unique, visually imaginative, and deep meditation on the relationship between audience and performer, check out The Fall. One aspect of the film that shocked me was its relevance to improv. The film's central fantasy takes place within the frame narrative of a recently (and mysteriously) crippled man telling a story to a young girl to meet his own "end"s. In order to hold her imagination captive, he constantly draws from her interests, often turning aspects of the fantasy (already on screen) 180 degrees on a dime, such as environment, characters, or mere accents. Watching this story become sculpted raises many interesting questions about what we like in entertainment, but the most interesting part of the story is how it reflects the storyteller's psyche. Not long into the film it becomes evident the storyteller is telling the essence of his own tale, and the little girl ends up changing the end of his story in a major way.
Many reviews I'd read criticized the film for being too visual and not complex enough, but I imagine they were only watching the "story" within the actual story, falling for the same trick as the storyteller is playing on the girl. To appreciate this film's full value, it helps to consider the ways a storyteller and their audience effect the story's content. Here's the trailer:
Many reviews I'd read criticized the film for being too visual and not complex enough, but I imagine they were only watching the "story" within the actual story, falling for the same trick as the storyteller is playing on the girl. To appreciate this film's full value, it helps to consider the ways a storyteller and their audience effect the story's content. Here's the trailer:
Click to view