User reviews

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.

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.

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.

I saw it as Greek Orthodox , knowing not verz much about mormons. I appreciated the honest dose of realism of storz , the acting, the well waz to define facts, traits of youth, a church , love. I appreciated, in same measure, the gentle aproach bz sensitive themes, from the traps of presumed felows of church to the emptiness of life in some occasions. And the smart manner to suggest the sensualitz.

The freshness, the correctness / two virtues of this film who is not pledge or accusation but onlz a sort of testimony about attraction, feelings, love.

Two zoung missionaries / elders - it sounds very eccentric for me the term for 20 years old guys - , their answers to challenges and their feelings one for other. A film remarkable for fair reflection of innocence.

There has never been a movie that has resounded so perfectly as this one had. As I am writing this, I am currently a 16 year old boy and have undergone so much strife, pain, and heartache just from living, more than the average 16 year old should ever have. In "The Family: A Proclomation to the World" they clearly state over and over that marriage between man and woman is a sacred covenant ordained of God. This had to be the greatest cause of my lack of faith in the church, even though I was born and raised in it. The teachings of the evilness of homosexuality, a part of someone that is neither chosen nor even wanted in most cases, led me to think that there was something wrong with the church since I had to pretend to be someone I'm not all for the sake of not wanting to be looked at with disgust or shame. It is truly a hell to have to grow up trying hard to be someone else, that I don't even know who i really am anymore. Since I found out I was gay, and as everyone else around me started maturing, it grew increasingly harder to socialize to even the closest friends I had, since I was lying to them about such a huge, unforgettable part of me. As a result, it is because of this forced fake lifestyle, I believe it has caused me to be the socially awkward person I am today. I honestly believe that if I could have been honest with my parents and everyone around me and been encouraged to be who I am from the start, I would have been able to have developed better basic socialization skills as well as a better faith in a church that I grew up in. I'm sorry for the excessive length of this, but I had to express myself somehow, since I can't say this to my own mom. Thank you if you actually read this...

Ok there was zero chemistry between the two actors. They were both good actors and because of that they made the film more watchable. I did enjoy all three films but somehow they lacked the passion of two people in love. Which was too bad because the story line was darn good.

"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."

Some confusion... this is the 91 minute film from 2012. There were also two 2 hour sequels released 2013 and 2016. On top of that, there's a brand new film from taiwan called the falls, releaed 2021. In this 2012 film, rj (nick ferrucci) is a mormon, and bunks up with chris (ben farmer) on his mission. The slow, agonizing telling of what the encounters are like when meeting with people in their homes. When they show affection for each other in a restaurant, a redneck picks a fight. Although rj has almost no bruises afterwards. Clearly, they have feelings for each other. And it leads to other things. That are strictly against the rules. This trilogy of films is similar to latter days, from 2003. Written and directed by jon garcia. Moves pretty slow. Except for smoking pot... someone starts giggling right after his first puff, which is pretty unusual. Harp music. The subject matter is interesting enough, but things take so long to happen. Could have told the story much more quickly.... this didn't need to be told over a five and a half hour trilogy. On another note, the guidelines of the mormon church are evolving; homosexuality used to be grounds for getting kicked out; now the church is more accepting, and one should consult the current guidelines for accurate information.

I know this is a low rating... But I really had no choice and honest is the best way.

Right off the bat, the low-budget became apparent by the sub-par visual and sound design. The sound was scratchy and echoey, mostly in interior locations and at times the actor's voices were not even audible. But visually, it just flat out ugly. The entire film had a thick layer of digital grain accompanied by blank white walls and out-of-focus close ups that made the entire picture look like it was shot by a 1st year cinematography student.

But then came the acting and writing, both of which left much to be desired as many of the actors were stiff and unrealistic when reading lines. Most of the dialog meandered and the actors just sort of kept talking, but about nothing interesting in particular. And then the characters and "story" came into play. The story was two men falling in love, and in the midst they... walk and talk... and, walk and talk some more for over an hour. Then visit a war vet and sit and talk for 20 minutes with him. A character who served nothing to the story what so ever other than provide the two weed and... stories. That's IT.

I didn't care for a single character in the whole movie. The two leads had zero chemistry with each other. I could tell that neither of them were actually gay because their kisses with each other felt forced and sometimes even straight up awkward. The part that shocked me the most was in the woods, after they had just got done peeing... They decide to blow each other.... So they literally blew each other RIGHT after peeing. The rest of the day they were talking around with pee/man gravy breath. Did no one see how unintentionally hilarious that was!?

I congratulate the filmmakers for making an entire feature. But still, this was an entire waste of time. I hope their next movie will be better.

The Falls explores the Mormon Faith and it's relationship to gay love when two male missionaries develop feelings for one another.

The depth of research and the excellent acting by everyone involved makes this movie a "must buy" DVD.

The dialog was real for what is a very sensitive topic. I hope that people of the Mormon faith can see that special care and respect was taken towards their religion. However, the movie does point out the unnecessary conflict LGBT Mormons must go through.

Jon Garcia is an amazing talented director and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

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.

This was a class project melodrama that should never have been given the green light.

From beginning to end, THE FALLS is an engaging tale of two Mormon missionaries who discover something greater than they had expected.

The handsome and engaging RJ Smith, who is also the narrator, begins his journey as a novice, meeting his fellow elder Chris Merril with a humble and accommodating attitude, even agreeing to share in what would become a romantic ritual of consuming Lucky Charms.

As the story progresses, Chris becomes the more vulnerable figure, as the tenets of his "Latter Day Saints" faith start to falter, and RJ emerges as the stronger of the two as he lends his emotional support. The two personalities diverge more as their attraction grows stronger, but something keeps them together regardless.

All the years of indoctrination, telling them their feelings are "wrong" and "sinful," get capsized. There are moments of joy, introspection, great conversations with a traumatized Gulf War veteran who ends up converting them to his philosophy rather than the other way around, and lots of pain as one lover gets more paranoid while the other gets stronger in asserting his sexual identity.

By the end, THE FALLS offers both a quirky and touching romance, with actors who establish a genuine mutual chemistry, and a plot that challenges religious doctrine in favor of what Lord Alfred Douglas once called "the love that dare not speak its name."

Very enjoyable, meaningful and interesting. Engaging from the very beginning. Sure, the acting could have been better ...along w/the production values (for which I'm deducting a couple stars). But considering this film was made on a shoestring, it still manages to impress and tell a wonderful story about love, humanity and struggle to find one's place in the world!

This film caught me by surprise. I found it on Netflix and thought I would give it a try. I was very, very pleased. I had seen the movie "Latter Days" 2003 and enjoyed it also. The religion vs. coming out gay has been an issue for me in my life when I was younger and while I am not LDS I was brought up in a very strict Fundamentalist Baptist Church. The conflict of these two characters played so well by Nick Ferrucci and Benjamin Farmer was excellent. Writer/Director Jon Garcia brought this movie to life and I applaud him for such solid characters. I try to find positive and uplifting gay themed movies when ever I can and this movie was just that for me. I was very glad to see this movie has a continuation of the story in "The Falls: Testament of Love" 2013. I could watch these two men continue their lives and story even further if there could possibly be a third movie showing us even more. These are the types of characters the viewer can become very attached to and want to follow their lives.

I never understand why this movie and its subseq ones have such low rating. Can it be the slow pace nature, may be....But its a romantic movie. Not action, sci fi one.

The movie despite being an indie has awesome awesome acting skills. Some scenes were really funny. And development of their characters slowly towards exploration of their urge was perfect.

I loved how their religious life dominates even when clearly knowing that it contradicts what they are doing. As a closeted gay Muslim (probably only other religion which shares same level animosity comparing to mormonism....btw they all do) I connected so much to this movie. It hurts...it raises hope....it makes me cry..

BTW among the trilogy 2nd one is probably my fav. I urge everyone to watch all three and demand a 4th installment.

A very sensitive subject when dealing with the church but answers a lot of questions nonetheless. The two lead actors were stellar in their performances. I can't say enough of how these two lead the film. They really are likeable characters throughout and you won't be disappointed.

The cast overall were great as well especially the war veteran he was hilarious.

So give this a chance.

I'm glad I did.

Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!... Thank-you for expressing my life long discrimination, fears, battle and self-deprivation... as a "gay" with an inescapable and haunting Love for Jesus. I have tried, to get on in the "church" (missions/dedication) but have given up years ago; because I have never felt that I completely belonged/accepted; but neither to the heterosexual, or homosexual, world. The actors were so REAL/tender/vulnerable. The Director... omg, AMAZINGING!!! So sensitive, sincere, and must have come from his/her own reality... similar to my entire life : ( WELL DONE!!!! : ) Where are WE??? The lost and dejected gays with Faith? Please, I want to find "US"... I want to find "Me" : )

My Partner and fiance was Mormon for over 30 years, struggling with himself, trying not appease the cult that it is. Put aside the ridiculous founder Smith and his corruption, and you realize members were misguided.

THe harm the Mormon church has done to love is profound, and the movie series shows how men who love other men can over come the corruption and hate against love freeing themselves from tidings that pay a church for hatred.

He is loved now, genuinely not stuck in a marriage of image, and to appease the corrupt. Shifting the real love to genuine compassion to help all people, not those consumed by ego that have fallen from any hope of any grace by hating love.

I plan to play all 3 movies for him, and know it will trigger emotions, tears, and I will be their beside him, making him realize he has real love and freedom now, and the cult is gone, and his letter to them, as well as Oaks being blunt about the Mormon corruption is sent. The Mormon church will either have a new and kind fair revelation with the newer members, or it will fade as a cult .