THEGAYUK FEB/MARCH
2014
WATCH
Free Fall (or Freier Fall, to give it its German
title) is an award winning drama from
director Stephen Lacant. It has been branded
a sort of German “Brokeback Mountain”, and
indeed there are parallels between the two
movies, but in some ways Free Fall is more
gritty, more rooted in the present day.
by Greg Mitchell ★ ★ ★ ★
Marc would seem to have his life sorted out. He’s
doing well in the police force, his girlfriend is having
a baby, and they have just moved into a house, next
door to Marc’s parents. He is happy (or he thinks he
is) and everything is going well for him. He meets
Kay at a training camp and the two men become
attracted to each other. Though Marc tries hard to
fight his feelings, he later starts a relationship with
Kay and subsequently finds his life spiralling out of
control.
I suppose the basic storyline has a certain
resemblance to “Brokeback Mountain”, but there the
similarities end. Whereas in Brokeback much of the
romance is played out against the magnificent
scenery of Wyoming, this relationship is much more
claustrophobic, harder to hide as so much of their life
is in plain view; not much chance for the men to get
away from their colleagues and Marc’s family.
Ultimately the movie is not just about Marc’s coming
to terms with his homosexuality, it is more about
whether he will allow himself the freedom to walk
away from the life that has been set out for him by
his parents, his colleagues and his girlfriend. Marc
36
finds it impossible to choose between Bettina and
Kay because he can’t decide between the two lives
they represent, between comfortable domesticity on
the one hand, and freedom, with all the danger and
unpredictability that suggests, on the other.
Ultimately that choice is made for him, and though
we do not know how life will pan out for Marc, there
is a suggestion that he will eventually break free.
With superb performances from the two central
actors, Hanno Koffler as Marc and Max Riemelt as
Kay, not to mention Katharina Schuttler as Marc’s
girlfriend Bettina, it is an engaging and involving
movie,
beautifully
filmed and
subtly
played out.
Lacant
directs
with a sure
hand
which is
honest and
true. ∎
Available
from
Amazon