The Falls 2: Zeugnis der Liebe

I've created this IMDb account solely to write a review on this movie and the prequel as I think they haven't been given enough credit. First of all, no, this is not a disappointing sequel, in fact it's a great one and Jon Garcia did a marvelous job in making it realistic and not the cliché kind of gay-movie continuation. The first movie reflects so many experiences and thoughts that I've been going through throughout my life and I think most of other religious people's lives, even though we may not be Mormon. And that was what made it really close to heart and made it an almost realistic drama that had me attached to the characters as if they're myself.

Testament of Love touched me way more than the first one did though, as the movie narrates basically all of my life expectations and vague planning that I have been developing since I found out about myself. I am a religious Muslim man and have been struggling with my sexuality for a long time now and I haven't came out to anyone. Due to my strong faith in God, I have been relieving myself by saying that this is one of the strongest challenges God can give to His servants and that I'd get the best of rewards in the hereafter for going through this on the right path until I die. And In Islam, God doesn't specifically condemn the feelings of homosexuality and He'd only give worldly challenges that the servant can bear.

Because of that, this movie speaks to me like no other movie, or even, no other person has before. The main characters resonate a strong emotion of love, guilt, sadness, frustration and hope without needing lengthy or even detailed dialogue. And the fact that the RJ and Chris had gone on separate "lifestyles" that are common choices to Religious gay men, just screams to me about the (frustrating) realities of my life expectations as a Religious gay man.

Moreover, I love the grayness of the plot and characters of this movie such as RJ's strong faith in God even though he's not a practicing Mormon anymore and the complex scenes where the gay- relationship, family and religious issues are being tackled. The characters in this movie are individuals, and even though they are tied to certain societal and religious views, they have their own individual thoughts. And that's what I really love. It makes the movie really realistic.

Yes, some may say the movie is quite too long and a bit draggy, but I don't mind that as those are what makes this movie life like and not just another gay-problem-suicide or gay-coming out-happy/unhappy movie. And I don't mind the length as I really want to know more about their lives, even if they're fictional.

Thus, I applaud the director, producers and actors for producing such a realistic, close to heart (and much more cinematic) movie and I really hope that you guys can make another sequel, perhaps for a proper closure to myself and the other viewers, and to relieve my already bad movie-depression that I'm having. By the way, I regretted not watching this movie and the prequel much much earlier.

I saw this part of The Falls as the last one. And I consider it the best The Falls. For sensitive problems and their inspired exploration, for the clash between faith and love, for the relation RJ - Paul, for the end. Indeed, you recognize the recipe, so familiar and easy used . You reminds the story from the first part and the evolution of events becomes not so surprising. But The Falls: Testament of Love proposes more than familiar romance in gay frame.

I saw it as correct story about connection between a young man and his church who, indeed, is more than only a church but axis of his entire life, the fight against sexual impulses and the effort to build an ordinary life, exactly the expected by community one.

Nice acting, fair story and just clever - useful exploration of details about mormons life , rules, way to assume delicate problems , interesting for a guy like me, Greek - Orthodox believer, so far by life of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints.

So, correct.

My heart ached throughout most of this movie. I loved the first "The Falls" and was sad that it had to end the way it did, not knowing how Chris and RJ's lives would pan out. Well now we know! Perhaps for me it is nice to see a gay relationship movie about fairly run of the mill characters. They aren't buff, don't have fabulous jobs and don't hang out at nude beaches or bars 24/7. in fact it seems both the boys lives have come to be in somewhat of a rut. But what they do have is an extraordinary desire to be happy with themselves, even when the odds are stacked against them. For this reason the film has a lot of soul. I felt like a warm blanket had been wrapped around me when these two finally meet up again. Chris's self inflicted pain is palpable and we are never too sure how in fact their lives may continue. As friends? As enemies? As lovers? For some unfortunate reason the audio in parts, is terrible, which is a shame given the high standard of everything else about the movie. I also found the Anniversary party scene to be unnecessary, and unlikely. I felt it added a selfishness to the main characters that tainted my opinion slightly. In the end however, I fell overwhelming in love, again, with the unmistakable bond between Chris and RJ. Warning, some full frontal nudity. (Oh go on, go see it just for that!).

I'm going to assume that anyone considering this movie has already seen The Falls. If you haven't, you should. This is a sequel, and you need to have seen The Falls first. Therefore, I won't waste time telling who RJ and Chris are and what happened between them in the past.

I suspect that most fans of The Falls are going to love this one too, so you may want to stop reading now and just see the movie. It continues the gay Mormon theme of the original in a different setting.

It's five years later. Chris is back in Salt Lake, has been reabsorbed into Mormonism, has turned hetero through therapy and self-control, is making oodles of moolah as a pharma rep, is happily married and has a daughter.

RJ has not returned to Mormonism (although he still wears the underwear and believes most of the teachings), has a dreamboat lover named Paul who adores him, and is making ends meet writing for a magazine in Seattle.

RJ and Chris meet again for the first time at Rodney the stoner's funeral. RJ dumps Paul (a real catch and played by the best actor in either movie) and goes to Salt Lake to get Chris back. Much drama ensues. I'll stop there.

I LOVED The Falls - it was SO much better than the highly overrated Latter Days. But I have three problems with the sequel.

First, it adds nothing significant to the original, just recycles the same angst in a new town. Maybe gay Mormons need an endless series of Star Wars-like sequels and prequels, but this non-Mormon gay has had enough of it already.

Second, there's no believable attraction between RJ and Chris this time. It's compulsive, not erotic at all. Not one spark. Totally unbelievable, unless both guys are so neurotic now that they will do anything to be miserable. (Besides, the guy who plays Chris has gotten creepy looking - really weird eyes like a lizard).

Third, this sequel has the gall to set up for yet ANOTHER sequel, just as The Empire Strikes Back did. Lucas pulled it off, but Jon Garcia should have stopped at one.

The post mission world of Mormon kids Nick Ferucci and Benjamin Farmer is the subject of Testament Of Love. Unfortunately if you didn't see the first film The Falls you might have trouble picking things up. The first film concentrated on Ferucci and his family, in Testament Of Love it is Farmer and his family that are the focal point.

Ironic since it was Farmer who initiated things on their mission it was Ferucci who went back home and came out of the closet. He went on the promised three month road trip with Farmer from the first film and then when both returned communication ceased from Farmer's end.

Word that their friend Brian Allard whom they met on the mission has passed on. That reunites them. And Ferucci finds out that Farmer is now married to Hannah Barefoot. Farmer has never come out of the closet and now he's leading the typical Mormon lifestyle married to a nice Mormon girl who is expected to bear lots of Mormon kids.

When Ferucci who breaks up with a boy friend he has and incidentally breaks that young man's heart goes to Salt Lake City to find Farmer the inevitable happens. A story told many times over in thousands of homes, maybe told best in Brokeback Mountain where both Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are married.

I have no doubt this is played out in many a Mormon household as well. Worse there since the Church of Latter Days Saints is the focal point of the community not just a place you go on Sunday to communicate with the Deity. Still the alternatives are either suicide or a life of repression. Too many choose those alternatives.

Hannah Barefoot's story is also a tale told many times. The woman who marries a closet case and then wonders what she did wrong. She gives the best performance in the film.

I hope Testament Of Love gets a few showings in Salt Lake City, but I doubt it. Still you never know.