#TIFF18: “LET ME FALL” REVIEW

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Let Me Fall chronicles the lives of teenagers Magnea (Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir) and Stella (Eyrún Björk Jakobsdóttir). They hang out, they party and they do hard drugs. They enter in and out of rehab, but keep resorting back to their old ways. And as they age into adulthood, they learn that their earlier decisions have a habit of catching up with them.

Using interviews with addicts and their families, Director Baldvin Z has created a harrowing and deeply disturbing portrait of addiction and the destruction it causes. The film goes to some very dark and visceral places, frequently becoming increasingly difficult to watch. But the camera work and visual style Baldvin Z brings to the piece, not to mention the strength of the cast (including Kristín Thóra Haraldsdóttir and Lara Johanna Jonsdottir as the adult Magnea and Stella) keeps Let Me Fall compelling at all times, even when the storyline and editing are not always coming together as well as they should.

LET ME FALL screens at the following times:

Thursday, September 6, 6:00 PM, Scotiabank Theatre [World Premiere], Friday, September 7, 9:30 PM, Jackman Hall and Sunday, September 16, 12:15 PM, Scotiabank Theatre.