Common Sense Media Review
By Alistair Lawrence
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
British girls' school drama has sex, trauma, adult themes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Falling
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
THE FALLING follows Lydia (Maisie Williams) as she navigates a fainting epidemic after a tragic event at her all-girls school.
Is It Any Good?
This is a bold and occasionally captivating movie that never quite seems to decide what it wants to be about. The Falling traces the impact of a bizarre fainting epidemic that disrupts life in and around a 1960s British girls' school. Writer and director Carol Morley imagines a neat twist on the coming-of-age drama, but struggles to find a way to nurture its spectacle, to the point where characters treat teen girls fainting on mass as a tiring inconvenience. This leaves its talented cast fumbling between black comedy and drama, as well as competing metaphors for declining mental health, sexual awakenings, and grief.
Williams found time in-between seasons of Game of Thrones to portray the increasingly distressed Lydia, who suffers a frosty relationship with her mother Eileen (Maxine Peake) and the indelible marks left on her by her more mature best friend, Abbie (Florence Pugh). Lydia's troubles mimic the audience's, as the movie quickly runs out of plot and bounces her from one underdeveloped conflict to another. The Falling also suffers from the release of another film, The Fits, two years later, which leans on a similar central premise but with a leaner story and so to better effect.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how The Falling portrayed sex and relationships? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Do you think the fainting epidemic in the school symbolized anything? If so, what?
Discuss Lydia's changing behavior. Why did she become frustrated with the adults in her life and how did it affect her mental health and well-being?
Talk about the 1960s setting. What was different compared to today?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 7, 2015
- On DVD or streaming : August 9, 2016
- Cast : Maisie Williams , Maxine Peake , Florence Pugh
- Director : Carol Morley
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Cinedigm Entertainment Group
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 102 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : May 1, 2025
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