Before the Fall

Solid with a somber, low-key tone. It begins slowly, but draws you in due to the fine performances and lush photography. Very good, and definitely worth a look.

First time I found out that people had already made a gay themed Pride and Prejudice I was instantly hooked. The whole P&P gay thing was my idea for a novel that I'm working on (in my head), although hadn't had the time to start on it.

I've always been a Pride and Prejudice fan. It's the first book in the Austenverse that I've read as a kid. I've fallen in love with the characters especially with the main lead Lizzie Bennet. Mr. Darcy, of course, will always be my fictional boyfriend. I have always identified myself with Elizabeth ever since I've read the novel and watched the 1995 and 2005 version, including the rom-com version, Bridget Jones' Diary.

Okay... so about this movie; I am both impressed and disappointed. Let me start off first by saying the "good" stuff about the film. The cinematography is visually stunning. The nature scenes are breathtaking and gorgeous to look at, it felt like you could almost feel and smell the breezy wind right through you, giving that vibe to the audience is an achievement. The storyline's good although it lacked the certain qualities of Austen's novel such as the social satire and wit that made the novel a universal hit. But I'm aware the director (Geisner) is not going for that direction, instead, he's focusing more on the romantic tension between Darcy and Lizzie and what could happen if they were transformed in the 21st Century as a same-sex couple. Darcy is as brooding as ever, in here he is depicted as a closeted gay man struggling to come in terms with his own identity, which is EXACTLY what he would look like if he were reinterpreted as a queer man.

As for my bad impressions, sad to say there are more bad moments than good but at least tolerable to bear with. My biggest complaint is the camerawork, it's often shaky here and there. Some angles were great, some angles were okay, some angles were just plain hard to look at. It looks as if it was done by a teenager with minimal knowledge about the basics of filmmaking. The dialogue was okay, but I expected more from it, it is after all an Austen adaptation so I expected it to have more depth and quality in the usage of their words. The two gay men, which are obviously the film's version of Lydia and Kitty, made me flinch in disgust; they're stereotypical and annoying (I get that their original counterparts really are annoying but I did not expect this kind of exasperation), I don't know if the writer of the screenplay intended them to be the comedic relief but it seemed they're just there to mess up the lives of everyone around them, they're like Jar Jar Binks twins in human flesh. Lastly, my second biggest complaint is the main lead, Ben Bennet. I don't see any hint of Lizzie in his character other than the "pride" and "prejudice" part which is obviously the most vital part of the story. He lacks charm, humour, liveliness, and (most importantly) sarcasm. My insult to his character: he resembles more of a Bella Swan than a vivacious woman with a pair of fine eyes.

If this wasn't a Pride and Prejudice film, I would've said more nasty stuff about it, my Austen spirit led to forgive it as a whole. I'm used to watching great films and I've seen far better LGBT themed movies than this, but set aside all the flaws and imperfections, I think it's a good film (if not a great one), it is imperative proof that beloved classics like Pride and Prejudice could be "queerified" if done with justice and regard to the original source.

After my first viewing of this film I was struck by two things; 1) the poignant and restrained performance by Chase Connors, and 2) how weak the overall quality of the film was; overwritten screenplay, choppy editing, unimaginative scene blocking, and a serious lack of chemistry between the two male leads, most of which was not their fault of the actors. The screenplay had so many subplots that were unsupportive of the main storyline that, as it pertained to developing the arc of their story, these two guys just got left in the back seat of the car. We're shown their story. We're, at least I, just not given enough of them to buy it.

Then I rewatched it and picked up on some really good aspects of the film that were overshadowed by its weaknesses the first time. The cinematography; no, not the easy layups of the Virginia landscapes in Fall. That's the easy stuff. Instead I was more drawn to some of the angles and mixtures of straight on shots with blocked shots within the same scene. It's really well done throughout. As well, the film has a beautiful, and simple, musical score. It is just enough to propel the story; and just as importantly, fill in when the story is becomes unfocused.

Chase Conner's performance stands out but other supporting members are excellent too. Carol Marie Rinn, as the unlikeable girlfriend of Lee Darcy (Chase Conner), finds angles and levels of a fairly simple character, enough to keep you wondering just how much, or whether, you'll end up disliking her. Ethan Sharrett as Ben Bennet gives a wonderfully endearing performance with complexity. His facial expressions reveal myriad competing thoughts as they ricochet through his characters mind. For me, though more than equal to the challenge, he was miscast.

However, the strongest aspect of this film is the performance by Chase Conner. I would love to see him in a better version of this film doing this role just as he does it here. With very little dialogue he embodied the conflict and brokenness of Lee Darcy. He knows how to be on the periphery of a scene, and without saying a word, reveal more of his character to the viewer. And the dialogue he does have - I can't imagine it delivered any better. He's an enormously gifted actor with that rarest of acting skills; the ability to pull away from the camera which pulls you, the viewer, further into the story and closer to his character. Why is he not in more films? I would love to see what he does with other material.

Honestly, mediocre gay themed films are a dime a dozen. So I had low expectations for this small indie. But, surprise of surprises, I was pulled into this film and invested in the characters. First of all its quite beautifully shot with gorgeous locations capturing the charm of small town Virginia. The two main actors are nicely portrayed with refreshing subtlety and actually have good chemistry. I've never seen Chase Connor before but he has a natural charisma. The side characters are also enjoyable especially the two gay friends. Unfortunately, the writing of the homophobic girlfriend is much too broad and stereotyped. Overall, a nice diverting gay film. I barely noticed the Pride and Prejudice references.

Before the Fall is bad in every way. Terrible screenplay, terrible direction, terrible acting. Even the potentially beautiful Appalachian Mountains setting (which state it's supposed to be is debatable, but the mountains are not) is ruined by the overwhelming STUPIDITY of everything else. I mean, what lawyer conducts a confidential interview, discussing a third person in a way that would qualify as slander anywhere on earth, in the public hallway of his office, directly in front of the waiting room door, for anybody who may be waiting there to hear?

The whole movie is like that: stupid people saying and doing unvaryingly stupid things in the most unrealistic, unbelievable way possible. And there's an extremely annoying, cloying synthesizer-piano muzak soundtrack, the same dull, soporific notes played over and over, oozing its sappy way through every scene, constantly underlining the unrelenting stupidity of everything we see and hear.

I HATE this movie! The guy who plays Lee is gorgeous -- and I mean breathtaking -- but, just like the mountains, his beauty is buried in the mudslide of stupidity that swallows everything in its path.

Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen's best work by far, one of the finest and most deeply satisfying novels ever written. It's so good that it has survived many bad adaptations, including this one. But writer-director Byrum Geisler (whoever he is) really shouldn't have told anybody what he was trying to do, because his failure is so monumental that he SHOULD be too embarrassed now to show his face anywhere. There is no HINT of Pride and Prejudice, or any of its marvelous characters, STILL alive 200 years after she created them -- not the tiniest spark of Austen's genius -- anywhere in this stupid movie.