2022 Survival Thriller Fall Is Now Free to Stream on YouTube

A great survival movie does not need a massive budget or an ensemble cast to build unbearable tension. Stripping a story down to isolated characters facing impossible odds often creates the sharpest suspense. Buried sealed Ryan Reynolds inside a wooden coffin, 127 Hours tracked James Franco trapped by a boulder in a remote canyon, and All Is Lost set Robert Redford adrift on the open sea.

Director Scott Mann brought that same stripped-down survival approach to heights with his 2022 thriller Fall. The film is available to watch free on YouTube beginning Aug. 28 at noon EDT, with no subscription or rental fee required.

What is Fall about?

The story centers on best friends Becky and Shiloh, played by Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner. The two decide to climb an abandoned 2,000-foot radio tower rising out of the desert. Becky hopes reaching the peak will help her grieve and scatter the ashes of her husband, who died in a climbing accident. Disaster strikes once they reach the summit and the corroded ladder shears off, stranding both women on a tiny platform high above the desert floor.

Their situation deteriorates when their backpack, holding their water and a drone, drops onto a lower dish antenna. Radio interference blocks their cell signals, and no one on the ground can hear them. As the desert heat rises and hydration runs out, Becky and Shiloh face mounting injuries, severe fatigue, and circling vultures while attempting increasingly risky ways to signal for help.

The film earned strong reviews upon release, holding a 79% critics score and a 79% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the simple narrative engine and vertigo-inducing camera setups.

To capture the dizzying scale, the crew shot real tower footage for wide angles and built the tower’s upper section on the edge of a mountain cliff over 2,000 feet above sea level. Mann avoided green screens, forcing Currey and Gardner to perform their stunts in actual wind, open air, and natural light.

The free YouTube run arrives just ahead of the theatrical debut of the sequel, Fall 2: Deadpoint, which opens in theaters on Sept. 2.

Source: Polygon