International Falls 2020 * * * Stars

Director: Amber McGinnis
Year: 2019
Rated NR
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Rachel Harris, Rob Huebel, Kevin Nealon

"You ever seen Fargo?" Yes, and I've also seen A Simple Plan and 2019's International Falls (my latest review). Granted, "Falls" is not cynical or thrill-seeking like Fargo. Yeah there's those quirky Minnesota accents and the snow is falling but hey, there's no gratuitous violence, no Steve Buscemi, and no real black comedy (even though the film is about a struggling comedian).

Anyway, International Falls is a double character study and a lonely spectacle about infidelity. It's a depressing tale of two burnout people who can't escape their own doom and gloom. The actors involved (Rachel Harris and Rob Huebel) do solid and revealing work. Their scenes are enclosed, divulged, and done in one-on-one fashion.

As far as last year's releases go, "Falls" unveils and takes some real dark turns. Yeah it's about amateur stand-up but that's just the surface. At a running time of 93 minutes, "Falls" feels akin to 2001's Tape. Just think intimate and daunting conversations that take place in your typical hotel room (without the concepts of HD video and real time).

Yup, I'm gonna give International Falls a favorable rating and yes, I'm the first critic to feature it as a user on IMDb.

Shot with exteriors in International Falls, Minnesota (naturally), released in a dozen film festivals, and billed as a farce (which it really isn't), "Falls" chronicles lowly funnyman, vulgar language-r, and Xanax monger, Tim (Huebel). Tim during his comedic tour stop at an International Falls hotel, befriends a sad sack housewife who wants to pursue the same career that he already has (and doesn't really want). The two confide in each other, parley, make love, and then one of them eventually commits suicide (spoiler).

Sad, downtrodden, and not without a muted happy ending (one of the two personas actually elicits a few laughs), International Falls "falls" into the recommend category. Rating: 3 stars.

Written by Jesse Burleson