A Place to Fall Down

The short film, and directorial debut, A Place to Fall Down, from filmmaker Duane Hansen Fernandez, is a sombre dive into one man’s sorrow as he attempts to navigate grief, loss, and his own existence in a new chapter of his world.

Jose (Clifton Collins Jr.) is a particularly talented mechanic. His exacting clients place a lot of pressure upon him to deliver incredible results for their vehicles, however, Jose is struggling to cope in the aftermath of losing a loved one. We find him at the beginning of the film listening to a meditation recording only to be disturbed by the piercing pinging of his phone. We then witness Jose go about his day in a state of palpable anxiety, images flitting in like bullets to the brain and we wonder whether our protagonist will endure to the end of his shift when he receives a fortunate phone call.

A post-COVID tale of how we have all become damaged by grief in some way, A Place to Fall Down is a tonally sharp exploration of how devastating loss can be and through the eyes of one man, we see the vast spectrum of emotions which tag along with it. Jose’s suffering does not reveal itself as smashing plates against the wall nor bottling it down as the strong silent type, he in fact displays very typical (if not that dramatic) responses to losing a loved one. This authentic yet personal approach from writer/director Duane Hansen Fernandez gives the short film a slow, but very real, gut punch.

The location of the garage is utilised brilliantly. A place where broken things come to be fixed is poignant enough but the filmmakers here make it seem extremely isolating. Jose appears lost amongst the maze of automobiles and when he finds out his assistant isn’t coming in for the day, he becomes immediately distressed at the prospect of being alone with his thoughts - something grief-sufferers will thoroughly relate to. This atmosphere is beautifully enhanced by the exquisite turn by Clifton Collins Jr. who tells as much of his character’s agony through his eyes as he does from any of the dialogue (which is also very well-written).

As a short film, A Place to Fall Down works on most levels. Viewers will be hard-pressed to not emotionally engage with the piece but, to use a motoring term, it never gets into the higher gears in terms of the tale being told. Some audiences may feel the story needed to move into more varied territory to fully flesh out this character and the impact grief was having on him. As it is, the well-chosen elements, terrific central performance, and authentic approach to storytelling still make this a captivating and memorable journey.

Watch our Video Film Review of A Place to Fall Down.