FALLING WATER Season One Review

Falling Water (2016)

Written by: Blake Masters, Henry Bromell
Starring: Anna Wood, Brooke Bloom, David Ajala, Jodi Long, Kai Lennox, Lizzie Brocheré, Melanie Nicholls-King, S. Bryson Williams, Will Yun Lee, Zak Orth

FALLING WATER
Season One review
Available on Amazon Prime Instant Video

Three strangers find themselves sharing the same dream as their real lives begin to unravel with strange events that tie them together.

Available on Amazon Prime, FALLING WATER grabbed my attention whilst flicking through titles to watch thanks to its dream-sharing storyline. Enjoying Inception and other films of that nature, I decided to give it a try and though a slow starter, the series develops into an intriguing thriller with many twists and turns…

The series opens with an introduction to our main character of the three: Tessa (Lizzie Brocheré). Lying in a hospital bed, she gives birth only to be told by the nurse there is no baby following which we see her chase a little boy through the corridors of an empty hospital. Upon waking from her nightmare, we discover this isn’t the first time designer Tessa has had these dreams and she’s convinced that, at some point or another, she has given birth to a son. Unfortunately, all indications of a pregnancy, besides her dreams, prove false. Even a visit to the gynecologist draws up blanks. When rich businessman Bill Boerg tells Tessa he believes her and gives her a clue to evidence that could possibly prove she did actually give birth, she’s ecstatic. However, in receipt of this confidence in her theories, she’s required to take part in one of his dream experiments where she and other participants share the same dream space. Bill’s intentions seem honourable but what exactly does he want with dream sharing besides gaining marketing information for his line of mobile products?

Across town, NYPD detective Taka (Will Yun Lee) is investigating a group suicide in a suburban neighbourhood. With no leads besides the word TOPEKA scrawled on the wall, Taka is at a loose end. However, when another death investigation appears suspicious, the evidence leads him to a woman who might have the answers he’s looking for and more besides.

Finally, we have Burton (David Ajala), a British fixer for a multi-national investment organisation. Haunted by dreams of his lover, a woman in red, who’s taken from him, he struggles to decipher whether she is in fact real or imaginary. In his waking life, his dealings with foreign buyers for rare Earth metals has him discovering some truths about his dreaming abilities. As he attempts to control these abilities and track his mystery woman in red, he discovers what is really going on with the sales he’s helping to set up and the links to Topeka.

Having three main characters could prove to be a risky move but I take my hat off, somehow they manage to do it in this sci-fi series. Splitting time between the characters and having them slip in and out of dream state keeps viewers on their toes, questioning everything that can be seen. What is real? What is imaginary? Sometimes it’s hard to decipher but the real world always has a way of biting you on the arse and for these three characters, it seems that real world and dream world hardly feel exclusive anymore as they slowly begin to crossover…

FALLING WATER is one big mystery and at the heart of it all is Topeka and The Boy in Tessa’s dreams. Like a dream, nothing initially makes much sense in this complicated drama but as the series unfolds and more and more pieces are fitted together, we get to form a grip on what Topeka is and the importance of the boy in Tessa’s dreams. A shadowy cult, working around the city plastering flyers of The Boy, appears to have the answers or at least knowledge of what Topeka is, something which all three are slow to discover. However, Taka has the biggest handle on the situation with the cult having knowledge of his catatonic mother, convincing him they have regular contact with her in the dreamscape where she currently resides. Could Taka’s mother have the answers that will solve the mystery the three are experiencing?

Surreal and ambitious, FALLING WATER is one of those programmes you have to commit to to understand but, given the chance, can be highly rewarding. The performances from the cast are all superb with their characters strong yet subtle in their performances. All three are likable with their own distinct personas and problems and though their storylines are initially separate, over time they do begin to cross before they suddenly realise that whatever path they are on has connections with the other. As we near towards the end of the first series, it all starts to take shape as the villains of the piece become apparent. How to tackle the threat is another question, one which will no doubt be answered in the second series.

If you like conspiracy films and the dream world has often intrigued you, then FALLING WATER will be right up your street. It’s not quite Inception but it certainly gets those grey cells working whilst exploring what could actually be possible with the concept of dreams, albeit slightly fantastical.

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