“Falling Overnight”
3.5 of 5 Pitchforks
The kind of story “Falling Overnight” tells usually makes me roll my eyes. As an attendee of the Phoenix Film Festival this weekend, I expected this film to be just the same ol’ dying-person-meets-free-spirit-who-shows-him-how-to-live story. As if that hasn’t been done a thousand times before. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
Its gaze on life, experience and love seemed different to me. The independent feature film uses the element of realism to present a boy and girl’s wistful love discovered, interrupted and possibly resumed.
The film quietly, humorously, sadly and hopefully covers the last day before 22-year-old Elliot (Parker Croft) goes to the hospital to remove a brain tumor. Sickly, afraid and alone, he meets Chloe (Emilia Zoryan), a beautiful young photographer who invites him to her art show. Elliot accepts the wonderful diversion, knowing death could come just a few hours after sunrise. As the night unfolds, Chloe and Elliot experience a wonderfully enchanting and enlivening adventure through the city. When morning encloses, though, Chloe learns of Elliot’s condition, and the two confront the jeopardy of Elliot’s future. It isn’t just Elliot who has changed, who sees the possibilities and beauty in relationships; it is Chloe also who has learned about death and the gravity of it.
“Falling Overnight” is a sweet budding love story, although the realistic aspect of the dialogue and events can be seen as ordinary, uninteresting and certainly not exciting. At times, director Conrad Jackson makes it almost feel like a documentary.
Croft and Zoryan develop a nice feel for young romance, with all its natural quirks center stage, though I was not taken with Zoryan’s portrayal due to her lack of personal appeal. I was endeared, but also unimpressed, that the conversations and comedic moments were ones that I could relate to.
The authenticity of their language and the nuance of the actors’ body language contribute to the well-timed bits of humor. The wisecrack friend, Toby (Barak Hardley), in particular, exemplifies these realistic characteristics the best. However, I could imagine my own friends and I having some similar conversations and jokes, which either means the script was too real or that my crowd should have lights and cameras on them, as well.
During the Q&A that took place after the showing, a cancer survivor expressed that she was moved by how accurately Croft showed the mental, emotional and physical trauma of undergoing such a disease. She explained that not many people can effectively portray the emotionally difficult division that separates “the sick ones” from “the unsick ones.”
Like Elliot in the film, she never labeled herself as ill, though she was afraid of people’s reaction to finding out about her disease. The movie not only addresses themes of love, but also the social connotation and pity that comes with suffering from a disease. Though not terribly stirring, the film provokes thought and understanding about the joys and hardships about not only defining experiences, but also the ends of those experiences.
Reach the reporter at mgrichar@asu.edu
