Watch Falling

Falling is a 2020 drama film directed and written by Viggo Mortensen, who also stars in the lead role alongside Lance Henriksen and Laura Linney. The film centers around the relationship between John Peterson (Mortensen) and his aging, conservative father Willis (Henriksen). The story opens with John, a gay man living in California with his husband and adopted daughter, receiving a call from his sister Sarah (Linney) informing him that their father Willis is no longer able to live alone and needs to move in with one of them. John reluctantly agrees to take him in, and the rest of the film follows the strained and complicated relationship between father and son.

Willis is a stern and stubborn man who resists adapting to the more progressive values of his son's family. He frequently makes offensive and homophobic comments, and is openly hostile towards John's husband and daughter. Meanwhile, John struggles to balance his obligation to care for his father with his own emotional baggage resulting from a childhood spent trying to please him.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about the history of the Peterson family, including Willis' own upbringing and his experiences serving in the Korean War. Mortensen uses flashbacks to illustrate how these events shaped Willis into the man he is today, and to explore the psychological toll they have taken on both father and son.

The film is deeply emotional and poignant, exploring themes of family, identity, and acceptance. Mortensen's direction is sensitive and nuanced, allowing the characters to develop organically rather than relying on forced plot points or melodrama. The performances from the three leads are superb, particularly Henriksen as the complicated and conflicted Willis.

While Falling tackles heavy themes and can be emotionally draining at times, it is not without its moments of levity and humor. There are heartwarming scenes of John and his daughter bonding with Willis, as well as moments of unexpected tenderness between father and son.

Overall, Falling is a powerful and unflinching examination of the complexities of family relationships, as well as a moving portrait of two very different men struggling to find common ground. It is a testament to Viggo Mortensen's talent as both an actor and a filmmaker, and a must-see for fans of character-driven dramas.

Falling is a 2020 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 52 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.5 and a MetaScore of 63.