Falling

Facing up to his elderly father's failing health prompts a dutiful son to revisit their past relationship in this striking, intimate drama. Marking the writing and directorial debut for actor Viggo Mortensen, the film is dedicated to his late parents, whom he tended to through their dementia. And although Falling is not strictly autobiographical, it certainly has the grain of truth. In a marvellous, precise, awards-calibre performance, Lance Henriksen (Aliens co-star and B-movie mainstay) excels in the role of his life as the foul-mouthed arch-conservative old geezer who is consumed by his own bitterness - and a living nightmare to care for. Meanwhile, Mortensen provides impressive support as the patient gay son who is everything his old man is not. Unfolding over a week of parental care duties, the film frequently dips into the past, providing an insightful warts-and-all survey of corrosive masculinity. Henriksen's father is genuinely difficult to love, but this exquisitely framed, clear-eyed story conjures up an affecting degree of filial understanding. Poetic yet accessible, Falling proves a deeply-felt directorial bow for Mortensen.