The Falls is a Taiwanese film directed by senior filmmaker Chung Mong-hong, which Netflix released some time ago. This film stars two local stars, Alyssa Chia and Gingle Wang. Last year, this film received several awards at major film festivals and was the representative of Taiwan to compete in the Best International Feature category at the 2021 Academy Awards. How special is this film?
Pin-wen (Chia) and her daughter, Xiao Jing (Wang), drastically changed their lives when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Xiao Jing had to be quarantined at home because her classmate turned positive. Ping-wen herself gets a pay cut at her office and gets time off because of her daughter’s situation. Mother and daughter who do not get along now have to spend time together. Until one-day, Ping-wen had to be rushed to the hospital due to mental disorders.
It could be for the theme: Covid-19, so far, this film is the best. The script, which the filmmaker himself wrote, was able to take advantage of the pandemic situation to present a touching drama story between a mother and daughter. The story that initially looks simple gradually becomes more complicated and heavy. The plot of the story is more interesting and able to play with our feelings, in line with the conflicts experienced by the two characters. Our sympathy and empathy focused on the daughter’s, but the situation was not as we thought. The mother’s mental condition and the daughter’s worries are two factors filmmakers can explore very effectively. Like Xiao Jing, we also feel anxious throughout his story about her mama.
Without these two brilliant casts, this film would be meaningless. Almost throughout the film, Alyssa Chia can play so fragile as the mother with expressions, body gestures, and “empty” eyes. At the same time, Gingle Wang, as the daughter, performed very well with all her emotions towards her mother. It’s not easy for them (casts) to be close, but they are always “distanced” and barely feel their relationship’s warmth. Not once do we see them touching or hugging each other. This is interesting. The surprising ending is a big challenge to understand the film’s story.
From an aesthetic point of view, this film looks very classy. The filmmaker, who also has a cinematographer background, shows his touch impressively throughout almost the entire film. Music illustrations that use classical and “western” touches can build a sweet mood in many scenes. The apartment building is covered in blue tarpaulin, a brilliant setting with a special meaning. This film does seem very personal to the maker; this is emphasized through the closing credits.
With the strong performance of the two main casts, The Falls presents the mother-daughter relationship in a unique and earthly situation. The Falls is not about mother and child and living in a broad sense. The daughter must also pass the mother who has gone through a dark and difficult life. Xiao Jing also apparently still faces a big test to understand his mother fully. Nature seems to have its way of teaching us lessons to understand the meaning of life more deeply. I want to see a mother and daughter in a warm embrace, which we can only see in our imaginations.
