Viggo Mortensen directorial debut gets February release date

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Perceval Pictures and Quiver Distribution announced today that they will be partnering on the U.S. release of Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen’s (Captain Fantastic, Eastern Promises) directorial debut FALLING. The drama stars Viggo Mortensen, who also penned the script, alongside Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Laura Linney (Kinsey, The Savages), Golden Globe nominee Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Into the Badlands), Terry Chen (Almost Famous, Jessica Jones), Sverrir Gudnason (The Girl in the Spider's Web, Borg vs. McEnroe), and Hannah Gross (Mindhunter, Joker). Previously, the film enjoyed a successful run at several film festivals including Sundance, Cannes, and San Sabastian Film Festivals.

Falling was also screened at TIFF 2020, where our own Chris Bumbray was in attendance and reviewed the film. You can read Chris' review here, in which he refers to the film as an "uneasy" watch but also a project that shows promise in Mortensen's abilities behind the camera.

Directed, written, and produced by Mortensen, who also composed the score, Falling follows John (Viggo Mortensen) who lives with his partner, Eric (Terry Chen), and their daughter, Mónica (Gabby Velis), in California, far from the traditional rural life he left behind years ago, while his conservative father, Willis (Lance Henriksen), lives alone on the isolated farm where John grew up. In the early stages of dementia, Willis is brought to John’s California home to help him relocate. Unfortunately, their best intentions ultimately run up against Willis’s adamant refusal to change his way of life in the slightest.

“Viggo Mortensen has fashioned a complex tale of love lost and regained that explores generational tensions,” said Quiver Co-Presidents Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman.  “This is a stunning directorial debut from Viggo with a stand-out performance from Lance Henriksen, and we are excited to see this one through the awards season.”

Mortensen said: “While not strictly autobiographical, some events and conversations in Falling are inspired by the childhood I shared with my two brothers, Charles and Walter, to whom the movie is dedicated. It is a complex story, layered throughout with the subjective, imperfect memories of its principal characters. Most people, it seems to me, yearn to be seen and heard, and thrive on empathy. It took me a long time to accept my own father as he was, with as little judgment as possible, but I'm glad that I eventually did so. And he returned the gesture, for which I'll always be grateful. Falling is, in large part, about the importance of accepting and forgiving, of learning to live with others and with oneself. I feel very fortunate to be collaborating with Quiver in order to bring this story of hard-won grace and compassion to U.S. audiences.”

Falling is set to be released in theaters, On Digital, and On Demand on February 5, 2021.