Writer and Director Alan King calls his sophomore feature La La Falls a “spiritual successor” to his debut Vincent. While it’s not necessarily a sequel, the film is set in the same location with the same central character. But in the last two years, King has fine-tuned his approach, focusing on the elements of his first feature that worked well. The result is a succinct, hilarious, and touching story that hooks you right from the start.
Told in four parts, the film follows two friends whose quiet lives get turned upside down after they find some valuable gold jewelry on their land. The audience meets Vincent (King) and Gunther (Bill Evans) as they dig graves for two bloodied bodies in a heap next to them. Cut to six days earlier, and we begin to learn how these two men with no interest in attracting the attention of the outside world get into this mess. After they sell the jewelry to some Russians, they find out it belonged to the missing brother of a mob boss. He pays Vincent and Gunther a visit in an absurd climax that is equal parts odd and hysterical. In between the madness, they develop a friendship with Gunther’s sister Vesna (Snejana Hadzic) and her friend Olive (Jodi Saunders), who open them up to a socialization they clearly need.
“…two friends whose quiet lives get turned upside down after they find some valuable gold jewelry on their land…”
While the story may seem frenzied, it’s actually quite focused and surprisingly tame. In fact, a lot of the best bits of humor come through Vincent and Gunther’s nonchalant approach to the chaos around them. King’s screenplay strips away the more intricate elements of his first film, like the mixed genre and heavy reliance on narration for exposition. It not only quickens the pace, but it also draws the focus to the brilliantly crafted characters that give the film so much life. King can take credit for a lot of that character development, but you can’t discount the fantastic ensemble of performances either. The cast is mostly comprised of non-professional actors, but you’d never know it. They’re anything but amateurish, delivering the comedic beats with flair while also managing to flex into more emotional or pensive punches. At the center of it all are two wonderful portrayals from King and Evans. It’s Vincent and Gunther who hold the film together. You can’t help but root for them, and it’s their relationship–specifically the way they work through this crisis–that keeps you captivated. They’re also incredibly funny, leaning into buddy comedy territory at times, but with something much deeper behind the surface. King brings such complexity to Vincent, a character who feels so lived in. While we aren’t given many details about his troubled past, King wears the scars of it on every expression, both in the good moments and the bad.
King impressively uses a micro-budget and a six-day shooting schedule as his greatest tool. It allows him to drill in on what makes his work so good–the authentic characters and the depth of the storytelling that weaves between funny and profound. The barebones but effective stylistic approach draws the audience’s attention to what matters most–the power of a peaceful existence and the joy in human connection. There aren’t many filmmakers out there who can make so much out of so little.
"…a succinct, hilarious and touching story that hooks you right from the start..."
