The Falls: O Amor Não é Pecado

Thank God for indie films, all puns intended. The Falls is a sensitive, nuanced treatment of Mormonism, sexual orientation and the fierce battles between commitment to a greater cause and following one's own truth. The similarities between this religion's place in our society and the gay rights movement is the film's cleverest and most meaningful contribution. Utterly convincing, outstanding acting by Nick Ferrucci, Benjamin Farmer and especially Brian Allard as a lonely Gulf War vet. I wanted a little more background development for the two leads, and an abbreviated fight scene was jarringly awkward, but that didn't take away much from the movie and its messages. The Falls leaves you with something you won't soon forget.

At the time of writing, "The Falls" has an IMDb rating of 5.6, which in my experience means the movie is barely worth a watch. Fortunately I ignored that score and had the pleasure to watch it last night. The two main characters are beautifully sweet. We get an insight into the strange world of the Mormons – two young men sent off on their mission to spread the word. It was interesting perspective, I wondered if many of the scenes of the missionaries being brushed off (as we all tend to do), were in fact real.

In any case, the main story is about the developing bond between the two young men, while trying to disguise the fact that one fancies the other a bit more than just a missionary brother.

Much of the soundtrack uses a slide guitar, which gave it a bit of a Brokeback Mountain feel. It does set the mood however, which I found lovely. I think the texture of the film perfectly captured that feeling of young romance.

There are some funny and wonderful scenes while the missionaries try to convert a down and out pot smoking honourably discharged war veteran.

The lead actors are very good and the pace of how things unfold means there is never a moment where you think the movie is slow. As the film drew to a close I did not want it to end. This is definitely one of the better gay themed movies I have seen recently.

The Falls is a simple and bittersweet tale of two young men from the LDS church who are partnered in a mission. How could the higher ups of the church know that they were partnering two latently gay men trying to sexually define themselves. When the passion bursts forth it does is explode. It tends to that the longer you are in a closet.

Nick Ferucci and Benjamin Farmer are the two missionary elders who've been assigned to Oregon for their duration. One thing this film did not show is the fact that these missionaries don't necessarily do their two year hitch in the same place. You might be assigned Buffalo for six months, Brooklyn for another, and then finish up in Birmingham, United Kingdom. These two were lucky they had enough time to find themselves. And find an awakening sexual experience that was deeply satisfying.

I feel for these kids, they've lived a sheltered existence in a cocoon of a church. For Mormon Elders I always try to be nice to them making it clear I don't believe in their doctrine and I'm not trying to get in their pants. These young ones will eventually become the old ones who will get the timely revelations to change that doctrine. There was a scene where the two kids were invited to a person's house simply to be berated. I'd say the berator had more issues than these two latently gay young men did.

There was another scene where some redneck homophobe thought them being too affectionate and got a nice beat down for his troubles from Ferucci. He had reason to hate Mormons and gays in his mind. Our older Mormons starting with Mitt Romney forget that they were once a most persecuted people in the USA and world wide.

Lastly a free spirited friend they made played by Brian Allard after they've tasted of love gives them a taste of marijuana. Allard is a disabled veteran from Iraq and makes Ferucci and Farmer truly rethink a lot of paradigms they've been taught to accept.

Though Latter Days also about Mormons and homosexuality is a more widely known film, this one has a lot of merit and should be better known.

"The Falls" had the potential to be exploitative and inflammatory, considering its dual subjects: Mormons and homosexuality. Thankfully, it is neither. Credit is due to writer and director Jon Garcia, who deftly navigates a minefield of controversy to create a moving story of one young missionary's personal journey. It is a journey that is admittedly hard to capture in under two hours, so this telling is, of a necessity, elliptical.

Mormons will view this film in a completely different light than non-Mormons, despite the director's care in trying not to offend potential audiences. A touching film about two missionaries is not the same thing as a film about two missionaries touching.

Garcia firmly believes that he has made the former: the story of a personal journey and finding love. A film that is respectful of the religion that makes that love fraught with difficulty. And indeed he has.

Nevertheless, many devout Mormons will see the latter: a profane, sacrilegious exploitation of one of the proudest products of the Church--its missionaries. Garcia, who took great pains to learn about the Church, even so far as taking the missionary lessons and attending services for months (with no pretense), may not fully appreciate one peculiarity about Mormons.

Ever since 1838, when Governor Lilburn W. Boggs of Missouri issued the infamous "Extermination Order" to shoot any Mormon within the state on sight, Latter-Day Saints have lived with a siege mentality: it's us against the world. (This was most recently evident in the campaign of Mitt Romney.) Mormons are suspicious of any outsider who tries to portray their faith. They seek to influence, control, and even orchestrate such portrayals in most cases to assure that they and their faith are not disparaged.

Missionaries are to devout Mormons what servicemen are to patriotic Americans: they are heroes beyond reproach, at least while they are serving. The Mormon discomfort with Garcia's film will stem not so much from the subject of homosexuality, which most Mormons are now aware exists among even their devoutest members, but the fact that a less-than-sacred portrait of the Church's missionaries has been painted for all the world to see.

The Mormons' problem with this film and Garcia's triumph are one and the same: the brutal honesty of the story. Missionaries are not all angels. And they are not all the self-assured messengers of the Gospel that they attempt to be, sometimes with great personal struggle. But Garcia exposes the weaknesses of his characters lovingly. He does not belittle them or shame them or parade them as evidence of Mormonism's failure.

I understand the Mormon discomfort and the belief that, while some missionaries struggle with their sexual feelings, to indulge them WHILE serving a mission is a disgrace, never mind what happens afterward. But I also understand Garcia's message that it takes a brave and self-assured person, missionary or no, to stand up to such a formidable force as one's faith and family combined, and say "I am not ashamed of who I am."

I've read other reviews of this film and I have to say, the negative reviews are trite. IT'S AN INDEPENDENT FILM! Production quality isn't on par with a multi-million dollar film, but the actors portraying these flawed people are believable. Isn't that what we actually look for in any film? I have watched all three of these, back-to-back more than once because I like crying and this story makes me cry. I really can't say which of the three I like the most since all three touch my heart, and I sincerely have cried during all three. I accidentally saw the first installment then got up, after going to bed, to watch the 3rd. I will watch them again, 1-2-3.