The Fall
At a Los Angeles hospital in the 1920s, Alexandria is a child recovering from a broken arm. She befriends Roy Walker, a movie stunt man with legs paralyzed after a fall. At her request, Roy tells her an elaborate story about six men of widely varied backgrounds who are on a quest to kill a corrupt provincial governor. Between chapters of the story, Roy inveigles Alexandria to scout the hospital's pharmacy for morphine. As Roy's fantastic tale nears its end, Death seems close at hand.
The film box office disappointment against its moderate budget of $30.0M, earning $4.0M globally (-87% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its bold vision within the adventure genre.
4 wins & 11 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Fall (2006) exhibits deliberately positioned story structure, characteristic of Tarsem Singh's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 59 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.6, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Black and white slow-motion opening: Alexandria, a young girl with a broken arm, plays in an orange grove with her immigrant family before her accident. Establishes her innocent, imaginative world and the 1920s Los Angeles hospital setting where she will be treated.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Roy begins telling Alexandria an epic story about five legendary bandits seeking revenge against the evil Governor Odious. The tale captivates her completely, offering escape from her pain and boredom. This story becomes the catalyst that will bind them together and drive all subsequent action.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 29 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Alexandria agrees to steal morphine for Roy in exchange for more of the story. She makes the active choice to betray the hospital rules and put herself at risk, crossing from innocent listener into complicit participant. This decision launches her into the darker second act where she becomes entangled in Roy's suicidal plan., moving from reaction to action.
At 60 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat False defeat: Roy learns that Nurse Evelyn is engaged to the doctor, crushing his hopes of reconciliation. In despair, he begins darkening the story, killing off the bandits one by one despite Alexandria's protests. The stakes raise dramatically—Roy's suicidal intent now directly corrupts the story, and Alexandria realizes the tale won't have a happy ending., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 88 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Alexandria falls from a window while attempting to steal morphine for Roy, reinjuring herself severely. This literal fall mirrors the film's title and represents the death of innocence. Roy consumes all the morphine in a suicide attempt. Both protagonist and mirror character face death simultaneously—the darkest moment for both storylines., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 95 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Roy realizes Alexandria needs the story to end hopefully to heal, and that giving her this gift matters more than his own pain. He synthesizes what he learned—storytelling is responsibility, not manipulation. He chooses to finish the tale properly, putting her needs first. The breakthrough: love and purpose can emerge from despair., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Fall's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping The Fall against these established plot points, we can identify how Tarsem Singh utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Fall within the adventure genre.
Tarsem Singh's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Tarsem Singh films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Fall represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Tarsem Singh filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Bad Guys and Zoom. For more Tarsem Singh analyses, see The Cell, Self/less and Immortals.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Black and white slow-motion opening: Alexandria, a young girl with a broken arm, plays in an orange grove with her immigrant family before her accident. Establishes her innocent, imaginative world and the 1920s Los Angeles hospital setting where she will be treated.
Theme
Nurse Evelyn tells Alexandria: "You should be more careful." The theme of storytelling as both salvation and manipulation is introduced, along with the power of imagination to heal or harm. The line foreshadows how Roy will use stories carelessly with Alexandria.
Worldbuilding
Alexandria explores the hospital, meeting various patients. We learn she's an immigrant girl who barely speaks English. She encounters Roy Walker, a paralyzed stuntman in bed, heartbroken and suicidal after being jilted by his actress girlfriend who left him for the leading man. The hospital becomes a liminal space between reality and fantasy.
Disruption
Roy begins telling Alexandria an epic story about five legendary bandits seeking revenge against the evil Governor Odious. The tale captivates her completely, offering escape from her pain and boredom. This story becomes the catalyst that will bind them together and drive all subsequent action.
Resistance
Roy continues the story in installments, drawing Alexandria deeper into the fantasy world. She visits him repeatedly, bringing small gifts. Roy uses the story to manipulate her into stealing morphine pills from the hospital pharmacy for his suicide attempt. Their relationship develops through the shared narrative, blurring reality and fiction.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Alexandria agrees to steal morphine for Roy in exchange for more of the story. She makes the active choice to betray the hospital rules and put herself at risk, crossing from innocent listener into complicit participant. This decision launches her into the darker second act where she becomes entangled in Roy's suicidal plan.
Mirror World
The fantasy story introduces the Masked Bandit's love interest, a beautiful princess who mirrors Nurse Evelyn (whom Roy loves in reality). This subplot carries the theme of lost love and redemption. Alexandria's innocent reimagining of the characters contrasts with Roy's bitter, heartbroken narrative intent.
Premise
The promise of the premise: stunning visual sequences as Roy narrates and Alexandria imagines. The five bandits journey across impossible landscapes—desert temples, coral reefs, butterfly-filled forests. Alexandria brings Roy small amounts of morphine while becoming increasingly invested in the fantasy tale, attempting to steer it toward a happy ending.
Midpoint
False defeat: Roy learns that Nurse Evelyn is engaged to the doctor, crushing his hopes of reconciliation. In despair, he begins darkening the story, killing off the bandits one by one despite Alexandria's protests. The stakes raise dramatically—Roy's suicidal intent now directly corrupts the story, and Alexandria realizes the tale won't have a happy ending.
Opposition
Roy systematically kills the bandit characters in the story as his depression deepens. Alexandria desperately tries to change the narrative, but Roy refuses to give her the happy ending she craves. She continues stealing morphine despite growing fear. The line between Roy's reality and the fantasy story blurs dangerously as both spiral toward tragedy.
Collapse
Alexandria falls from a window while attempting to steal morphine for Roy, reinjuring herself severely. This literal fall mirrors the film's title and represents the death of innocence. Roy consumes all the morphine in a suicide attempt. Both protagonist and mirror character face death simultaneously—the darkest moment for both storylines.
Crisis
Roy recovers from the failed overdose (his tolerance saved him) and processes overwhelming guilt that his selfishness nearly killed an innocent child. Alexandria, badly hurt, refuses to speak to him. In the fantasy, all seems lost—the bandits are dead, Governor Odious triumphant. The dark night of the soul for both characters.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Roy realizes Alexandria needs the story to end hopefully to heal, and that giving her this gift matters more than his own pain. He synthesizes what he learned—storytelling is responsibility, not manipulation. He chooses to finish the tale properly, putting her needs first. The breakthrough: love and purpose can emerge from despair.
Synthesis
Roy completes the story with Alexandria at his bedside, giving it a bittersweet but meaningful ending where the Masked Bandit defeats Governor Odious and finds redemption through sacrifice. Roy begins his rehabilitation, choosing life. Alexandria heals physically and emotionally, her faith in stories and people restored through Roy's transformation.
Transformation
Final image: Alexandria, healed and leaving the hospital, watches a silent film and sees Roy performing stunts again. She recognizes other stuntmen risking their lives for art. The closing montage of real 1920s stunt performers honors their sacrifice. Alexandria has learned that stories, like life, require courage and carry real consequences. The film ends celebrating the power of imagination tempered by responsibility.