Author: Josh P.
“Next Fall”
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Screenplay by Geoffrey Nauffts (based on his play)
Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Simon Moseley
Executive Producers: Elton John, David Furnish and David Barron
Music by Patrick Doyle
Main Cast:
Guy Pearce (Adam)
Cam Gigandet (Luke)
David Morse (Butch)
Illeana Douglas (Holly)
Kathy Baker (Arlene)
Wilmer Valderama (Brandon)
Tagline: “Faith binds us in our time of doubt.”
Synopsis: A tense feeling fills the waiting room of Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan. A serious accident has just occurred which has brought many different people to congregate and share their anxiety. Arlene (Kathy Baker) and Butch (David Morse), who have been divorced for several years now, still harbor slightly contentious feelings for one another but try to pull through considering their mutual affection for the victim. Holly (Illeana Douglas) is a free spirited, single woman who is a family friend who has never quite found the right place in her life. Brandon (Wilmer Valderama) is a young entrepreneur who knew them quite well before. Adam (Guy Pearce) quickly rushes in. Luke (Cam Gigandet) is still in a coma after being hit by a taxi.
Adam and Luke met five years earlier at one of Holly’s atrocious parties. Both were attractive men with an aimless purpose in their lives. Adam, approaching middle age, found himself head on in crisis mode while Luke was so desperate to find a meaningful connection with another person. Despite his reservations about having a relationship with a considerably younger man, Adam decides to take the chance to have some stability. After a few joyful weeks, there arises a problem: Adam is a staunch atheist, and Luke is a true believer in Christianity.
Their ideologies drive a wedge between them, often leading to heated moments between them. They have respect, and even love, for one another, but their issues of faith bring about the arguments with the most venom, mainly because Adam sees Luke’s faith as only an excuse to stay closeted to his homophobic father. One evening, their relationship reaches a breaking point, but before either can truly resolve their feelings, Adam had to leave for his work out of town. He returned as quickly as he could after the accident.
Back at the hospital, Luke’s chances of coming out of his coma dwindle as the minutes fly by. Adam’s guilt from the last argument propels him to see his lover, but the current restrictions on non-family members visiting is creating a problem. He comes close to arguing with Butch on many occasions and wants to tell him the truth about his son. Finally, the news is revealed that Luke will never recover. Life support is taken off, and he dies shortly after. For one moment, all the tension and hostility disappears as this group of people is joined by their grief, catharsis, and at the same time a love for the one thing in life that brought them here in the first place.
Awards Campaign: Geoffrey Nauffts’s Tony-nominated play gets a tender and heartbreaking adaption from an equally talented cast and crew. Nauffts adapts his own play, a common trend among modern playwrights, and he continues to capture all the brilliance and emotions of his original work. The screenplay manages to give light to the idea of faith, not just in a belief in God but a belief in trust and compassion. The arguments that Adam and Luke have are more revealing than just discussing religion. They are discussions about the personal connections we make with our family and friends, and whether or not we are truly willing to take on a tremendous journey with them. Nauffts brings out the best in his own layered material.
Kenneth Branagh feels like a nice fit for directing this piece, particularly since its limited space and locations give it a real kind of stage presence. Branagh is the kind of filmmaker who can take this type of material and give it a genuine cinematic flare. That style isn’t just indulging in canted angles or slow motion. It’s about finding the emotions that play out large to project on the stage and fine tuning them to so that they cary more subtle complexities that can be discovered on the screen. Branagh has a delicate touch that he employs with great care and detail, quietly bringing out subtle yet powerful performances from the actors, and enhancing the emotional devastation in every scene. It’s amazing to watch his talents yet agin.
Guy Pearce manages to capture the quiet intensity of his character quite well, and you definitely believe him as a tortured soul trying to figure out his place in the world around him. The guilt that eats away at his heartbreak is sincerely felt, yet we also get to see how those venomous moments in the heat of arguments come from a place of passion as well. However, every moment feels authentic, and there is a complex set of emotions that Pearce is able to portray on his face. Cam Gigandet is an actor who has not shined in many roles, but given the material and the skill of a competent director, he turns in a performance that can capitalize on his own natural presence and also indulges on genuine emotions to come through. He morphs himself to become tender in his romantic moments with his partner but also show an antagonistic side when the arguments begin. However, he’s never portrayed as a villain, or a meek and naive lamb either. Gigandet is able to show a strong willed individual who is torn between two worlds that mean so much to him and vents that passion effectively. Even when he’s silent in the hospital scenes, his presence is still felt.
The supporting cast is also spectacular. The standout among them is more than likely David Morse as the tough father. The challenge that Morse has to pull off is to show the horrible bigot that lives inside this man but also show him to be complex and, above all, carry an undying love for his son. His anger is indeed felt with much venom. However, in one of the final moments, upon hearing the death of his son, he collapses in a devastating display of emotional catharsis. The pain across is face is frighteningly real but also shows how he’s changed in a way. What could have been a one note character is made graceful by Morse’s performance. There are other stellar turns by Kathy Baker as Luke’s imbalanced mother trying to hold her grip on a crumbling reality around her with her son slipping away, and Illeana Douglas in a role that serves as an emotional glue for all the characters, often trying to steady the waters that circle around her, and on one or two occasions letting them get the best of her. The entire ensemble, as well as the team of director and writer, make this a truly marvelous, intimate achievement.
FYC
Best Picture
Best Director: Kenneth Branagh
Best Actor: Guy Pearce
Best Supporting Actor: Cam Gigandet
Best Supporting Actor: David Morse
Best Supporting Actress: Kathy Baker
Best Supporting Actress: Illeana Douglas
Best Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Nauffts