The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

I didn't really like this film. It's very boring most of the time. Keep in mind that I'm a big fan of Tarkovsky, Antonioni, etc., so I'm not the most vapid viewer. The film just seemed to cover so much unnecessary ground that I just wasn't interested in. Most of the film focuses on Thomas attempting to run a company, apparently, to fund his plan to bring water back to his home planet. Yet, not only is the business-talk very boring, it's very ambiguous, and it's never really explained why he needs this money. I don't have a problem with such ambiguity if it serves the film, but here it just serves to frustrate the viewer. Not to mention the fact that most of the plot is completely confusing, as you're never told much. Maybe it was the intent of the filmmakers to confuse, but it really just frustrated me. It could be just me, but the whole film felt far too post-modern, making far too much effort to appear artsy when really just ending up totally hollow.

There were a few good parts of the film, though. The plot's slow pace and ambiguity really helped the film's big climax, when Thomas is revealed as an alien. Due to the film's leisurely pace, such a grand climax comes completely unexpected and feels very jarring. I also really liked when the men were thrown out of windows towards the end. As they fly down towards the pavement, we hear their breathing on the soundtrack as we see them falling through the sky. It helps to put you in the moment, simply because we never think about what it's really like to fall a long length, as you're still breathing and conscious during your descent.