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The Falls (2012) movie poster

Characters & Themes

The Falls (2012) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language: 2012 · 115 mins · English; Loading streaming availability…
Directed by: Jon García
Starring: Quinn Allan, Brian Allard, Harold Phillips, Nick Ferrucci, Benjamin Farmer, Justin Koleszar

Love is not a sin. Two missionaries, RJ and Elder Merrill, travel to a small Oregon town to serve their mission and teach the words of Joseph Smith. Living together and confronting the challenges of leaving home, they help each other discover strengths, share a deep passion for their faith, and learn to express forbidden feelings, risking the only community they have.

Romance Drama Cast, crew & box office

On this page (7)

1 Where to watch
2 Characters explained (5)
3 Where & when it takes place
4 Themes & meaning (4)
5 Character & meaning questions
6 Movie threads
7 Every angle

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5 main characters · contains spoilers

The Falls Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The Falls (2012), 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.

RJ Smith (Nick Ferrucci)

A young, devout Mormon whose strict faith collides with his emerging romantic feelings. He is earnest and thoughtful, torn between obedience to church rules and his desire for authentic love. His journey centers on choosing honesty over conformity, even at great personal cost.
- 🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ
- ⛪ Religious conflict
- 💗 Romance
- 🧭 Identity
Chris Merrill (Benjamin Farmer)

RJ’s missionary partner who starts out strict and rule-bound but gradually questions the mission’s constraints. He is loyal and empathetic, yet internally conflicted as love grows between him and RJ. His arc traces the tension between duty, personal desire, and faith.
- 💔 Forbidden Love
- ⛪ Duty
- 📜 Doctrine
Rodney

played by Brian Allard

A U.S. Marine veteran with PTSD who welcomes the missionaries into his life and invites them to share meals and conversation. He becomes a catalyst for their emotional awakening and introduces them to new experiences, including marijuana, that alter their perspective.
- 🌿 Substance Use
- 🗺️ Road Trip
- 🗣️ Guidance
Thomas Smith

played by Harold Phillips

RJ’s father figure, a church member who embodies the traditional authority of the family and faith community. He reacts with anger and disappointment to RJ’s sexuality, and his stance heavily influences RJ’s sense of belonging and courage.
- 👨‍👦 Family
- ⛪ Religious Authority
- 🗣️ Pressure
Elder Harris

played by Quinn Allan

An LDS church elder who oversees missionary activities and provides a frugal sense of guidance and order in the mission, highlighting the hierarchical structure of the church. He stands in contrast to the personal journeys of RJ and Chris.
- 🗣️ Leadership
- 📜 Doctrine
- 🤝 Mentorship

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:14

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Setting

Where and When Does The Falls Take Place?

The setting of The Falls (2012): 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

Present day

The events take place in a contemporary setting, reflecting modern church dynamics and social attitudes toward sexuality. The characters navigate 21st-century life while adhering to traditional LDS rules and expectations. The story moves between a rural hometown, a mission in Utah, and urban neighborhoods, showing current-day points of contact with the world.

Location

Idaho, Utah, Portland, Oregon

The story unfolds across a small town in Idaho and the urban setting around Portland, Oregon, as well as the Mormon training sites in Utah. Idaho is portrayed as the close-knit home where RJ’s faith and family expectations shape his choices. The Portland area serves as a backdrop for urban street engagements during missionary work, while Utah houses the training environment for missionaries.

🏔️ Idaho
🗺️ United States
🏙️ Portland

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:14

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4 major themes

The Falls Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The Falls (2012) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

Sexual Identity

RJ confronts a same-sex attraction that challenges the church’s teachings, forcing him to choose between personal truth and communal expectations. The film tracks his struggle to reconcile love with the fear of social and familial rejection. The tension exposes the emotional cost of hiding one’s identity in a rigid religious framework.
Faith vs Freedom

The mission environment imposes strict rules that clash with RJ and Chris’s evolving feelings. The narrative probes how religious obligations can suppress personal growth and honesty. It also shows the pain of disciplining one’s heart to conform to doctrine.
Love and Consequences

A forbidden romance develops between RJ and Chris, transforming their bond and undermining the mission’s agenda. The relationship reshapes their priorities, with betrayal and alienation looming as a result. Their love raises questions about loyalty, happiness, and the cost of authenticity.
Identity and Duty

Institutional expectations constrain personal identity and future choices. The film portrays how family, church leadership, and mission culture shape decisions about honesty and belonging. It examines the long arc from concealment to courageous self-acceptance.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:14

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Character & theme questions

The Falls Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The Falls (2012): 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 story set?

The story takes place across multiple locations in the Pacific Northwest and Utah. RJ's home community is in Idaho, a small rural town where his faith and family expectations shape his choices. The missionary work brings RJ and Chris to the Portland, Oregon urban area for street engagements, while their initial training occurs at Mormon missionary sites in Utah.

idaho
portland
oregon
utah
setting
missionary
locations

Q2

What time period is the movie set in?

The events take place in present day, reflecting modern 21st-century dynamics within the LDS church and contemporary social attitudes toward sexuality. The characters navigate current-day life while adhering to traditional religious rules and expectations.

present day
modern
contemporary
time period
21st century

Q3

What are the main themes?

The film explores several interconnected themes: sexual identity and the conflict between personal truth and communal expectations; faith versus personal freedom within religious constraints; the weight of forbidden love and its consequences; and the struggle between institutional duty and authentic self-acceptance.

themes
sexual identity
faith
love
duty
identity
religion

Q4

How does the movie address sexual identity?

RJ confronts same-sex attraction that directly challenges Mormon church teachings, forcing him to choose between personal truth and family acceptance. The film explores the emotional cost of hiding one's identity within a rigid religious framework and tracks his journey toward reconciling love with the fear of social and familial rejection.

sexual identity
LGBTQ
same-sex attraction
church
religion
acceptance

Q5

What does the film say about faith versus personal freedom?

The mission environment imposes strict rules that clash with RJ and Chris's evolving feelings. The narrative examines how religious obligations can suppress personal growth and honesty, showing the pain of suppressing one's heart to conform to doctrine.

faith
freedom
religion
rules
mission
church doctrine
LDS

Q6

What role does forbidden love play in the story?

A romantic relationship develops between RJ and Chris, transforming their partnership and undermining the mission's original purpose. Their love raises difficult questions about loyalty, personal happiness, and the cost of authenticity, with consequences including potential betrayal and alienation from their community.

forbidden love
romance
relationship
consequences
loyalty
authenticity

Q7

Who is RJ Smith and what drives him?

RJ Smith is a young, devout Mormon missionary whose strict faith collides with his emerging romantic feelings toward his partner. He is earnest and thoughtful, torn between obedience to church rules and his desire for authentic love. His journey centers on choosing honesty over conformity, even at significant personal cost.

RJ Smith
protagonist
missionary
faith
identity
journey

Q8

Who is Chris Merrill and what is his arc?

Chris Merrill is RJ's missionary partner who begins as strict and rule-bound but gradually questions the mission's constraints. He is loyal and empathetic but internally conflicted as romantic feelings develop between himself and RJ. His arc traces the tension between duty, personal desire, and faith.

Chris Merrill
missionary
partner
conflict
duty
love

Q9

What is Rodney's role in the story?

Rodney is a U.S. Marine veteran dealing with PTSD who welcomes the missionaries into his life. He invites them to share meals and conversation, becoming a catalyst for their emotional awakening. Through him, RJ and Chris are introduced to new experiences that broaden their perspective beyond the mission's constraints.

Rodney
Marine
veteran
PTSD
catalyst
awakening

Q10

What is RJ's father's role in the story?

Thomas Smith serves as RJ's father figure and represents traditional authority within the church and family community. He embodies the expectations RJ must navigate, and his reaction to RJ's sexuality, marked by anger and disappointment, heavily influences RJ's sense of belonging and courage.

Thomas Smith
father
family
church authority
expectations
rejection

Q11

How does the film explore identity versus duty?

Institutional expectations from family, church leadership, and mission culture constrain personal identity and future choices. The film portrays how these forces shape decisions about honesty and belonging, examining the difficult journey from concealment to courageous self-acceptance.

identity
duty
church
family
expectations
self-acceptance
belonging

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Falls, by Mood & Story

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

Movies about forbidden love like The Falls

Stories where love defies oppressive rules, demanding a difficult choice. Discover more movies like The Falls that explore the tender and painful dynamics of forbidden romance. If you liked seeing love challenge authority in The Falls, you'll find similar emotional stories about defying societal, religious, or cultural rules for a chance at connection.

forbidden love
tender
defiant
stifling
emotional risk
self-discovery
Tone: hopeful, bittersweet, defiant
Pacing: steady, character-driven

Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow characters who find a deep, unexpected connection in an environment that explicitly forbids it. The plot revolves around the tension of hiding their feelings, the risk of discovery, and the ultimate choice they must make between their love and their place in the world they know.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped together because they share a core theme of love versus duty. They create a specific emotional mix of tender intimacy, stifling pressure, and defiant hope, often leading to a bittersweet or costly resolution that feels earned and emotionally resonant.

Endless Love movie poster

Endless Love

2014

The Falls movie poster

The Falls

2012

Show Me Love movie poster

Show Me Love

1999

Love Story movie poster

Love Story

2021

Elena Undone movie poster

Elena Undone

2010

Romancing in Thin Air movie poster

Romancing in Thin Air

2012

The Black Orchid movie poster

The Black Orchid

1958

Yes or No movie poster

Yes or No

2010

Movies about faith and identity crises like The Falls

Introspective dramas about personal truth clashing with deeply held beliefs. Find movies similar to The Falls that delve into the quiet turmoil of a faith crisis. If you were moved by the introspective journey of self-discovery amidst religious conflict in The Falls, this collection features other emotional dramas about rebuilding identity.

introspective
melancholic
faith crisis
self-discovery
identity
emotional
Tone: melancholic, hopeful, introspective
Pacing: steady, slow burn

Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern follows a protagonist deeply embedded in a belief system who experiences a catalyst that forces them to question its tenets. The story unfolds through internal monologue, meaningful conversations, and symbolic acts, building steadily towards a poignant moment of realization or decision that changes their life's path.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their focus on the quiet, profound struggle of reconciling personal truth with external doctrine. They share a melancholic yet hopeful mood, a steady, introspective pace, and a medium emotional weight centered on the universal theme of finding one's authentic self.

The Falls movie poster

The Falls

2012

Keeping the Faith movie poster

Keeping the Faith

2000

Simchas and Sorrows movie poster

Simchas and Sorrows

2022

Matthew Passion movie poster

Matthew Passion

2023

Divine Access movie poster

Divine Access

2016

When Night Is Falling movie poster

When Night Is Falling

1995

Latter Days movie poster

Latter Days

2004

Hello I Must Be Going movie poster

Hello I Must Be Going

2012

Every angle

The Falls (2012) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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

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