A little warning: if you are looking for a light hearted horror, gore, or scare film you should probably stay far away from this one. What fell has to offer is a dark, heavy, slow-paced character study into the life of a teenager coping with abuse the best she can. The film’s prologue says it all “The Gods visit the sins of the fathers upon the children”.
What Fell is is the tragic story of what happens when a family, particularly the mother of said family turns a deaf ear to the abuse forced upon both her and her daughter from the verbally and physically abusive man of the household. Ultimately, and without the proper psychological health care this young girl, Leah will grow up with more than her share of issues. The question than becomes how to cope with a childhood of just about every kind of abuse you can think of? Easy, by brutally murdering anything with a penis.
…and the cycle of violence continues to turn in its ever spiraling path of destruction.
Although digitally directed by Bay Area’s own Christopher Philip Rusin with some flashes of beautiful time lapse photography the real stars of this film are both the costume designer, Reuben Godinez, whose dresses and sets steal nearly every scene, and the selfless acting of Cheryl Fidelman as both the abused and abusive Leah. Together, the two of them are the glue that holds this film together.
Can I recommend you see this film? Yes, but for the sake of good mental health please plan on going to a comedy show or seeing something funny afterwards. Fortunately for you the film Strigoi, a horror/comedy is playing right afterwards on the 27th of July. But if you plan on seeing it on the 18th of July it’s the final film of the night, so you might want to bring a friend who can make you laugh afterwards.
Showtimes for Fell:
7/18/10 Sunday 9:00 PM Roxie Theatre (3117 16th Street)
7/27/10 Tuesday 7:00 PM Viz Theatre (1746 Post Street)
