A rock star, John Allman (Harry Connick Jr.), comes to Cyprus and starts living in a house on the cliff after delivering a dud comeback album. He thinks his career is over, so he runs away from his team and his friend/manager. He leaves the crowded and noisy city of New York to live in solitude in Cyprus. What do you know, the island doesn't exactly offer him peace and quiet! The local police inspector, Manoli (Tony Demetriou), forces John to come with him to a bar. There are also those people who are seen standing outside John's house. Why do they come there? Where exactly is John's new house located? I won't answer these questions. I will just mention that the explanation turns out to be one of the many simple surprises that Find Me Falling offers to the audience. Writer-director Stelana Kliris beautifully subverts your expectations. She pleasantly plays with your knowledge about movie tropes. She initially allows the scene to move in a predictable direction and then tweaks the punchline or gives you something unexpected altogether. Consider the scene where Sia (Agni Scott) comes to John's house a bit early for their date while Melina (Ali Fumiko Whitney) cooks dinner in the kitchen. You prepare yourself for typical misunderstandings, accusations, and confusion (Sia would think John is cheating on her with Melina). However, what actually occurs turns out to be equally chaotic and surprising as well. Suddenly, the words, "This is Cyprus. Everyone knows everyone," begin to seem very relevant.
Since everyone knows everyone, Kliris has fun revealing who is related to who here. We are first led to believe that this is going to be a love story involving John and Melina. This could be the one-line description - A confident, fiery girl helps a sad musician regain his strength. But then Sia enters the picture, and you think Find Me Falling will be about the reconnection of old flames who had a fling in the past. After a few more minutes, when Melina and John bond over musical notes, you brace yourself for a love triangle. Kliris knows how we will respond to her story, so she is able to expertly toy with our expectations. She is aware of things like what outcome the audience expects from a Big Romantic Gesture or how they constantly connect the dots through conversations. Manoli tells John his daughter is also interested in music when he takes him to a bar. At the same moment, Melina, after singing a song, comes towards Manoli and John, and the former lightly kisses her forehead, leading us to think that John's daughter is Melina. Kliris is so well-versed with clichés that she even manages to surprise us during the transition from John's contemplative face to a microphone. We assume Find Me Falling will show us John's past, but eventually realize that the transition visually establishes a link between the two characters.
Kliris' humor provides its own enticing reward. There is a patient who worries about his shop, and in one of the scenes, a smiley balloon is placed directly in front of Sia's angry countenance. One can feel Kliris' joy at directing this material - her pleasure is palpable. She infuses her film with a lot of charm. Her scenes remain low-key and delightful. We respond to them more intensely than to the scenes from all those films that grab our collars and push every emotion down our throats. The actors, too, are synced with the tone. There is no unnecessary fuss. Connick Jr. tinges his actions with a sense of uncertainty, giving the impression of a stranger cautiously moving in a strange land. Scott's Sia, after spending the night with John, sits like a shy, naughty teenager in a church. The actor has a sweet, warm presence.
I liked Find Me Falling very much, but I don't want to praise it too much because compliments will increase expectations, and I am afraid it will lead to people coming out with complaints like, "Eh, it was not that special." They might overlook the ease with which the movie breaks the clichés and fills itself with freshness. Kliris has created a good little film, and I am using "little" not in a derogatory way but to express affection as well as to control your expectations.
Final Score- [7.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times