Release Date: 2023
Duration: 113 mins.
Director: Aylin Tezel
Writer: Aylin Tezel (Screenplay),
Starring: Aylin Tezel, Chris Fulton, Rory Fleck Byrne, Alexandra Dowling, Samuel Anderson,
For Kira and Ian, the main protagonists of the romantic drama Falling Into Place, it starts with catching each other’s gaze from across a bar and it turns into an almost year-long journey to realising their love for each other. However, before the two can get to that state, they have to learn to love themselves.
This is the setup for German filmmaker Aylin Tezel’s debut feature film. After establishing herself as an actress and winning awards, after directing and writing a number of shorts, after moving to the UK she has created a love story that takes place in Scotland and London and she stars in it herself, acting across from Scottish actor Chris Fulton.
The two play Kira and Ian respectively. When they first meet, they have both effectively been washed ashore on the Isle of Skye while enduring emotional storms. For Kira, a theatre set designer, it is the breakup of a long-term relationship with handsome Irish guy Aidan. For Ian, a struggling musician, he has returned home to Skye and to a long-delayed reckoning with a difficult relationship with his family, particularly his sister who haunts him due to a series of past incidents.
Their initial meeting in the pub sets off 30-minutes of compelling flirt-and-play between Kira and Ian as actors Tezel and Fulton display the sort of potent live-wire interplay that feels like it comes from an immediate attraction, the sort of deep connection with you feel you have met the person destined for you. They banter, they sing and dance in streets, wander country roads, and lie in fields. All of that kinetic action, coupled with a few shot sequences of the two entwined in contemplation and it looks like they are made for each other.
There is a little Before Sunrise (1995) in this opening but it isn’t overcooked and while the chemistry is there, the actors signal something more through a good acting range. Chris is a little too exuberant, the pulse of attraction pushing him heedlessly forward as if he is avoiding something while Kira is a little too hesitant to go further. Slowly it comes out that they are both wounded souls and both need to settle accounts with their past.
What follows is a fairly follow-the-line romantic drama that doesn’t really do anything new. Instead what we get is very satisfying story that is beautifully shot as we watch things fall into place for Kira and Ian as they address problems in their lives little by little.
In terms of writing, Tezel shows she has structure down perfectly to make an earnest love story. Her screenplay effectively intertwines the characters’ personal struggles with mental health and bad relationships together through concise sequences that build on each other and are filled with echoic motifs. They have their own unique creative struggles within their respective careers and that broadens their worlds. The pace slows as more characters are added, all in aid of the central couple rather than fully fleshed out, but the acting is good enough that the characters feel real and their influence convincingly leads to the central couple growing until they reach an ending that feels absolutely right. Thus, these basic appeals to the audience throughout via universal feelings of love and loss are done without cynicism and being overwrought so that viewers can enjoy a love story told straight.
Dramatic weight is given through expressive emotional performances from Tezel and Fulton who are both excellent at capturing their character’s outward confidence and every level of caving in when under emotional duress. Kira is witty and adventurous but one scene where she issues her desperate plea to Aidan to rekindle what they once had is a roller-coaster of lows that elicits pity as Tezel effortlessly shifts gears from brave to desperate and desolately vulnerable during her performance. Meanwhile, Fulton radiates an easy charm and display a wit that is attractive and convincingly hides a petulance and irritability that makes him a bit of a cad with regards to a woman who already loves him. These flaws add interesting aspects to a couple who we end up really wanting to be together, not least because the actors imbue them with the chemistry to make it feel right.
The film also excels in the looks department. The cast are almost entirely photogenic and the settings inviting and the film provides viewers with gorgeous views as well as symbolism: foggy London streets, the wintry shots of the Isle of Skye in relation to the character’s inner turmoil with regards to love. The way Tezel captures the settings evinces feelings of romance and acts as a perfect backdrop for the couple. Seeing these images on the big screen would be enrapturing as the film is always beautiful to get lost in while looking at the landscape. Furthermore, the visual motif of roads, streets, and paths – match cut between and looking great – help underline the emotional journey which is a heartfelt one.
Ultimately, the assured technical aspects ensure an always attractive view and the chemistry of the lead performers make it an enjoyable watch and one that shows Tezel is a talent to track.
Falling Into Place plays at the Glasgow International Film Festival 2024 on Saturday, 02nd of March, and Sunday, 03rd of March. That last one is sold out.