Trailer: Viggo Mortensen’s Directorial Debut “Falling”

Viggo Mortensen is one of the most eclectic actors of this generation. He’s been working steadily since the late 80s, but his career took off when he starred as Argorn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and he’s been a household name from that point on. He’s slowed down a little recently, but 2018’s Green Book netted the Danish actor an Oscar nom and some of the best critical notices of his career. He’s looking to follow that up with the new drama Falling, which just dropped its first trailer.

In the film, Mortensen portrays a gay man named John Peterson who has a family with his partner, much to the chagrin of his father, Willis, who holds tight to the values of a past generation and is homophobic and very disapproving of his son’s life choice. The situation is made worse as Willis has dementia, so his prejudice is often exacerbated, but John must care for his father, as the man has no one else.

The project is notable because it marks Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut, which he also wrote and scored. Sverrir Gudnason, Lance Henricksen and Laura Linney co-star in the movie, which looks to shine a stark light on the generational differences in values that are becoming more prevalent in modern society and looks to be one of the more introspective works in Mortensen’s long and varied career.

Falling actually premiered at Sundance and official selection title at Cannes and Toronto in 2021, scoring some very good critical looks, with many praising its authenticity and heartfelt message. The film opens in cinemas and on-demand on February 5th.