If you can avoid the trailer, I think it will be more enjoyable if you go in cold. If you've seen the trailer it is misleading. It's not about an epidemic at an all-girl school with a conspiracy to cover up. At it's core I think The Falling is about two things a generational gap between the females in this movie and their inability to communicate.
The older women are from a generation where they endure their hardships (in this movie very tragic ones), don't speak of it and try to move on with life the best they can. The new generation are in a more liberated time. The world went through a lot of social change in the 60's and 70's. So they are more open about their problems and share sometimes too much which is embodied by Abbie. But the girls in this movie are girls. They are very intelligent, they think they know it all but are still confused about things. Even though the younger generation are living in a more liberating time there are still dealing with repression but they have to navigate this new world alone. When they try to reach out to the adults they are unable/unwillingly to help. Not out of maliciousness I think but just don't know how. The women in this movie are not the dumb adults that are always in movies. They see what is going on with these kids but are failing them. When they do intervene it comes to late.
One quote that embodies this is by the headmistress. She tells a teacher how the students feel so misunderstood but have no clue about how it's like to be a middle age women.
As for the mystery of the movie. Why are these girls fainting. The movie gives two answers with proof for both. In my opinion it's a mixture of both. For critiques of the movie. At times the fainting of the girls seemed way to choreographed and not natural. Some of music is ill placed. Some shots are confusing, they are meant to show us things but lack context or go too fast. I found the movie enjoyable but I wanted more out of it.
The older women are from a generation where they endure their hardships (in this movie very tragic ones), don't speak of it and try to move on with life the best they can. The new generation are in a more liberated time. The world went through a lot of social change in the 60's and 70's. So they are more open about their problems and share sometimes too much which is embodied by Abbie. But the girls in this movie are girls. They are very intelligent, they think they know it all but are still confused about things. Even though the younger generation are living in a more liberating time there are still dealing with repression but they have to navigate this new world alone. When they try to reach out to the adults they are unable/unwillingly to help. Not out of maliciousness I think but just don't know how. The women in this movie are not the dumb adults that are always in movies. They see what is going on with these kids but are failing them. When they do intervene it comes to late.
One quote that embodies this is by the headmistress. She tells a teacher how the students feel so misunderstood but have no clue about how it's like to be a middle age women.
As for the mystery of the movie. Why are these girls fainting. The movie gives two answers with proof for both. In my opinion it's a mixture of both. For critiques of the movie. At times the fainting of the girls seemed way to choreographed and not natural. Some of music is ill placed. Some shots are confusing, they are meant to show us things but lack context or go too fast. I found the movie enjoyable but I wanted more out of it.