When a Man Falls in the Forest (2007) Reviews

• very lucid dreaming

  jamesgc-12008-06-22

  I enjoyed this movie a lot. The opening scenes, focusing on shots of electrical leads unravelling, an alienated janitor, moving his hoover back & forth, show that this is the kinda of film which you may have to suspend judgement a little over what is happening and where it might be heading and perhaps look a little deeper at the symbolism. Inter-twining lives are not of course new but those of the three male leads, Bill, Gary & Travis & that of Karen are not so much connected by events but more by how they are dealing, or not dealing with, their various personal dilemmas & tragedies or just their own approaches to their lives. Beautifully shot, well acted & directed, this film has more than an air of surrealism & may be open to more interpretation of the dreams & realities & possibilities than perhaps you might think at first. Recommended.

• Surprisingly "arty"

  notprivatepress2008-10-11

  A decent film, but be in the mood for some introspection. Sharon Stone is great because, well, she's Sharon Stone. You always get the feeling she's just about ready to snap a full on crazy - but that kinda IS what is interesting about Sharon Stone. Sort of a female Jack Nicholson, but hotter in heels and a skirt. The movie gives a snapshot of how we can all get lost in drudgery and mundane life. So don't view when you're really depressed. The film does a nice job with symbolism and there's an incident that unites the characters and pulls the story together. Good film to watch on a chilly night with some cocoa and buddy so you can have the discussion about how you feel SO much better about YOUR life and would NEVER slide into one of the character's way of life. I'd give it a B-

• A Mature look at the disillusionment of midlife

  thorbart2010-01-26

  I don't think young people will appreciate this movie though us older folk will understand the doldrums middle age can fall into this movie does that state justice with a good example of that proverb "be careful of what you wish for" Sharon is not the total beauty you are used to but not hard on the eyes either ... Tim does a bit of a supposed spontaneous phone call that is a bit on the too good to be spontaneous side but doesn't detract from the essence of the theme and growth of the storyline. to anyone who understands this state of depression and disillusion some aspects are a bit obvious but the story still does its job as a tear jerker of sorts.

• Editorial Reviews

  demona_32008-02-26

  Though marketed as a Sharon Stone thriller, this solemn chamber piece revolves around three men. One evening at work, Gary (Timothy Hutton in ever-present baseball cap) runs into night janitor Bill (Dylan Baker in over-sized spectacles). Gary and Travis (Pruitt Taylor Vince) used to tease Bill, a classical-music enthusiast, in high school. The encounter spurs Gary to reconnect with Travis, with whom he lost touch after the latter was involved in an automobile accident (for which he blames himself). Together, they drink and commiserate over their lonely lives; meanwhile, Gary's neglected wife, Karen (an uncharacteristically disheveled Stone), takes to sulking and shoplifting. Bill becomes preoccupied with his pretty neighbor, Sadie (Stacie Bono), and her abusive relationship (in his dreams, Bill saves Sadie from her attacker). A senseless tragedy forces these isolated individuals to face their fears once and for all. Originally known as When a Man Falls in the Forest, then When a Man Falls, the follow-up to Ryan Eslinger's Madness and Genius moves too slowly to generate suspense, while the characters lack sufficient development for their catharsis to have the desired impact. (An absence of personal touches, like portraits and mementos, contributes an air of artifice.) Despite their efforts, this leaves the actors stranded at times, particularly Baker, whose Bill is too bizarre to inspire much sympathy. Of the leads, Vince makes the best impression--would that Eslinger had concentrated more of the story on his character.

• Disintegration of lives loosely connected

  gradyharp2008-02-16

  The original title of this bleak film - WHEN A MAN FALLS IN THE FOREST - was inexplicably shortened to the nebulous WHEN A MAN FALLS for the release of the DVD: had the original title been retained, the audience may have been given a clue as to the intended message of the story. This is the second film for 26-year old writer/director Ryan Eslinger and it does suggest that he wants to deal with some existential material, but he has a way to grow into how to make it happen. The lives of three men and a woman are interconnected in the all too common shallow 'relationships' that are a major problem in how our society is working. Bill (Dylan Baker) is a night janitor in a large company, a man who shuts out the boring world with his earphones connected to the great opera classics: he avoids people including those who saunter past him and those whose chaotic lives in the next door apartment distress him. Gary Fields (Timothy Hutton) is a down and out professional man who works in the building that Bill nocturnally keeps tidy, the two 'old high school acquaintances' meeting only because Gary has taken to sleeping in the office. Gary's wife Karen (Sharon Stone, without makeup and looking spent and used) has lost all feeling for living, detests Gary, and finds her only joy is in shoplifting. Gary has shut himself off from old friends for reasons that seem to be related to an accident that involved is best friend Travis (Pruitt Taylor Vince), a man at odds with his own environment. The only apparent connection here is that, once Gary discovers that Bill is a night janitor, Gary and Travis feel guilty that their response to Bill in high school had been one of cruel ridicule. Each of the four main characters wanders aimlessly through a world that has become strange and vindictive and it is only a bizarre incident that throws the quartet into some semblance of meaning. Each person has fallen, but since they are in the midst of a lonely 'forest', has anyone noticed or cared? This could be a study in personal tragedy were it done better, but despite the fine credentials of the actors, the script is so full of holes that character development suffers and what results is not unlike watching an injured bull struggling around a bullfight ring as the crowd attends to the matador et al. Sadly we just don't care about these damaged people, making connection with the film next to impossible. Maybe next film...Grady Harp