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Fall (2017) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Fall (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 82 min · English
Directed by
Terrance Odette

At Niagara Falls, Father Sam’s peaceful life as a Roman Catholic priest is shattered by a resurfaced secret from his past. A fragmented memory of an encounter with a young boy decades earlier haunts him, forcing him to question his actions and confront a potential lapse in judgment. As he struggles to reconcile his faith with a possible moral failing, he seeks redemption and grapples with his own fallibility.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Characters explained (4)
  2. 2 Where & when it takes place
  3. 3 Themes & meaning (3)
  4. 4 Character & meaning questions
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Every angle

4 main characters · contains spoilers

Fall Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Fall (2017), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Becky (Grace Caroline Currey)

    Becky is a complex character battling her grief and guilt after the tragic death of her husband Dan. Initially portrayed as lost and dependent on alcohol, her journey to confront her fears during the climb reveals her inner strength and determination. As she embraces the challenge, she showcases resilience in the face of despair and ultimately finds a path to forgiveness.

    • 👩‍🦰 Protagonist
    • 💔 Grief
    • 🧗‍♀️ Survivor
  • Hunter (Virginia Gardner)

    Hunter is depicted as a supportive yet complex friend who encourages Becky to tackle her fears. Throughout their journey, her relationship with Becky deepens, highlighted by shared vulnerabilities and the revelation of her past connection with Dan. Hunter’s character embodies loyalty and courage, crucial traits as they navigate their harrowing climb.

    • 👩‍🦰 Friend
    • ⚡ Adventurous
    • 💪 Strong
  • Dan (Mason Gooding)

    Dan’s character serves as a haunting memory for Becky, representing her unresolved feelings about their relationship and his tragic death. His past presence influences Becky’s actions, embodying both the pain of loss and the motivational force that drives her. Although his role is limited to flashbacks and visions, he remains pivotal to the story’s emotional depth.

    • 👨 Husband
    • 🔥 Tragic
    • 🕊️ Memory
  • James (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

    James, Becky’s father, represents the theme of familial ties and concern. Throughout the film, he struggles to connect with Becky, reflecting the impact of grief on relationships. His eventual reunion with Becky emphasizes the importance of love, support, and the capacity for healing, serving as a counterbalance to her personal battles.

    • 👴 Father
    • 🤝 Supportive
    • 💖 Reconciliatory

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 23:40

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Setting

Where and When Does Fall Take Place?

The setting of Fall (2017): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

The events of the movie occur in a contemporary setting, likely within the present day, where adventure and technology intersect. It explores themes of grief and survival in a timely context, reflecting modern anxieties and the human spirit.

Location

TV Mast, Roadside Diner, Harsh Landscape

The movie unfolds in various dramatic locations, starting with the towering TV mast that reaches over 2000 feet, representing both beauty and peril. A roadside diner serves as a brief respite for the characters, where underlying tensions start to surface. The harsh landscape, filled with dangers like coyotes and birds of prey, highlights the survival theme and the challenges the characters face.

  • 🏞️ Nature
  • 🏢 Structure
  • 🍔 Diner

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 23:40

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3 major themes

Fall Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Fall (2017) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Grief

    Grief is a central theme as Becky grapples with the devastating loss of her husband Dan. The film explores her emotional rollercoaster, highlighting how grief can lead to destructive behaviors, yet also serve as a catalyst for personal growth. Ultimately, her journey through grief becomes intertwined with a quest for redemption and survival.

  • Survival

    Survival is portrayed through Becky and Hunter's perilous adventure as they tackle the challenges of climbing the TV mast. Their resourcefulness and determination in the face of danger speak to the resilience of the human spirit. The dire circumstances compel them to confront their fears and their emotional baggage, leading to profound character development.

  • Friendship

    The theme of friendship emerges strongly as the bond between Becky and Hunter is tested throughout their challenging ascent. Their relationship illustrates the importance of support and trust during hardships. It highlights the complexities of human connections, especially in the aftermath of loss and trauma.

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 23:40

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Character & theme questions

Fall Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Fall (2017): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the movie set?

The movie takes place primarily at a massive TV mast over 2000 feet tall, which serves as the central and most dangerous location. Additional scenes occur at a roadside diner and in surrounding harsh landscapes. The towering mast represents both beauty and peril throughout the story.

  • tv mast
  • location
  • setting
  • roadside diner
  • nature
Q2

What time period is the movie set in?

The movie occurs in a contemporary, present-day setting where modern adventure and technology intersect. This timely context allows the film to explore themes of grief and survival while reflecting modern anxieties and the resilience of the human spirit.

  • time period
  • contemporary
  • modern
  • present day
Q3

What is the central theme of grief in the movie?

Grief serves as the movie's core emotional engine, centered on Becky who is reeling from the devastating loss of her husband Dan. The film depicts how grief can spiral into destructive behaviors while also acting as a catalyst for personal growth. Her journey becomes intertwined with both a quest for redemption and survival.

  • grief
  • loss
  • death
  • emotional journey
  • redemption
Q4

How does the survival theme play out in the story?

Survival unfolds through Becky and Hunter's perilous climb up the towering TV mast, where they face constant danger. Their resourcefulness and determination in extreme circumstances showcase the human spirit's resilience. The dire situation forces them to confront their fears and emotional baggage, driving profound character development.

  • survival
  • climb
  • adventure
  • danger
  • resilience
Q5

What role does friendship play in the movie?

Friendship emerges as a defining theme through the bond between Becky and Hunter, which is tested throughout their dangerous ascent. Their relationship demonstrates the critical importance of support and trust during extreme hardship. The film explores the complexities of human connections, especially when formed in the aftermath of loss and trauma.

  • friendship
  • relationship
  • trust
  • support
  • bond
Q6

Who is Becky and what drives her?

Becky is the protagonist portrayed by Grace Caroline Currey, who battles profound grief and guilt following her husband Dan's death. Initially shown as lost and dependent on alcohol, her journey up the mast forces her to confront her fears directly. Through this ordeal, she discovers inner strength and determination, ultimately finding a path toward forgiveness and healing.

  • becky
  • protagonist
  • grief
  • guilt
  • character
Q7

Who is Hunter and what is her relationship with Becky?

Hunter, played by Virginia Gardner, is Becky's supportive friend who encourages her to face her fears. Throughout their harrowing journey, their relationship deepens as vulnerabilities are revealed, including Hunter's past connection to Dan. Her loyalty and courage are tested as they navigate the life-threatening climb together.

  • hunter
  • friend
  • support
  • loyalty
  • character
Q8

What is Dan's role in the story?

Dan, played by Mason Gooding, serves as a haunting memory for Becky, representing her unresolved feelings about their relationship and his tragic death. Though his role is limited to flashbacks and visions, his presence profoundly influences Becky's actions and emotional trajectory. He embodies both the pain of loss and the motivational force driving her survival quest.

  • dan
  • husband
  • flashback
  • memory
  • death
Q9

Who is James and how does he relate to Becky?

James, portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is Becky's father who represents the theme of familial bonds and concern. He struggles to connect with Becky as grief strains their relationship. Their eventual reunion highlights the importance of love and support, serving as a counterbalance to Becky's personal battles and emphasizing the capacity for healing within families.

  • james
  • father
  • family
  • relationship
  • reunion
Q10

What is the overall tone and emotional weight of the movie?

The movie maintains a dominantly tense tone driven by constant physical danger and emotional turmoil. The emotional weight is heavy, dealing directly with traumatic loss and survival guilt. The pacing varies from slow and grief-stricken at the start, to tense during the climb, to relentlessly fast during the survival crisis. The ending is bittersweet, Becky survives but only after immense suffering and the loss of her friend.

  • tone
  • emotional weight
  • tension
  • ending
  • bittersweet

Movie threads

More Movies Like Fall, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Fall tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Tense survival ordeals like in Fall

Stories where characters fight for their lives while grappling with internal trauma. If you liked the high-altitude peril and emotional trauma in Fall, explore these movies about desperate survival. This thread features movies like Fall where characters battle extreme physical danger while also confronting heavy internal struggles like grief and betrayal, creating a nerve-shredding and cathartic viewing experience.

  • gripping
  • desperate
  • anxious
  • cathartic
  • claustrophobic
  • nerve-shredding
  • Tone: tense, desperate
  • Pacing: variable, building to fast-paced
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives usually follow a linear, straightforward path where an initial stable situation is shattered by a catastrophic event or a dangerous environment. The plot revolves around the immediate, practical steps of survival, which are continuously compounded by flashbacks, secrets, or emotional conflicts that the characters must resolve internally to endure physically.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here because they share a potent mix of relentless physical danger and profound emotional weight. The suspense comes not just from 'will they survive?' but from 'how will they survive with their sanity intact?' The intense, tense tone and variable pacing that builds to a desperate climax create a coherent, draining, yet compelling experience.

Moral reckoning stories like in Fall

Characters confront past mistakes in a journey towards a complicated peace. For viewers who appreciated Fall's themes of confronting a troubled past and seeking redemption, this thread collects movies with similar moral journeys. Discover films like Fall where a character's peace is shattered by a resurfaced secret, leading to a tense and bittersweet exploration of guilt, judgment, and the possibility of forgiveness.

  • somber
  • cathartic
  • anxious
  • gripping
  • thought-provoking
  • emotional
  • Tone: tense, somber
  • Pacing: variable, introspective
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern typically begins with a character living a stable but fragile life, which is disrupted by the re-emergence of a buried secret or a past misdeed. The majority of the story is an internal and external struggle to face the truth, make amends, and seek forgiveness. The arc concludes not with a simple happy ending, but with a nuanced resolution that acknowledges the pain caused while allowing for a measure of personal growth or closure.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared focus on a heavy emotional core centered on guilt and the quest for redemption. They possess a tense, somber tone as characters grapple with their own fallibility. The pacing is often variable, moving from a slow, uneasy buildup to a more intense confrontation, ultimately leading to a bittersweet ending that feels earned rather than tidy.

Every angle

Fall (2017) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Fall in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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