Hello FlixChatter friends!! Today’s post is going to be a short one as I’ll be on my way to the airport in a couple of hours en route to Bali, Indonesia. Most of you already know I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, but I’ve been living in Minnesota since college. It’s been over a decade since I was back in my homeland, our plans to visit a few years ago were scrapped due to the pandemic. I’m excited to finally visit Bali again, truly a tropical Paradise that should be on everyone’s bucket list. I’m glad this time we’ll have almost two weeks to explore this magical island, as we only had a few days the last time we were there.

Jimbaran Beach (the area where I’ll be staying on my first week) – photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

This will be my fourth visit to the Island, the first time I was there was with my late mom and two brothers as a young teen, and Bali never failed to captivate me. Now, strangely enough, Bali hasn’t been portrayed in the movies too often. Likely most people immediately associate Bali with Eat, Pray, Love which I actually haven’t seen, but for me, the most memorable movie that was partly shot in Bali is Tarsem Singh’s THE FALL.

A bedridden patient captivates a hospitalized girl with a fantastic tale involving heroes, mystics and villains on a desert island.

It’s been 15 years since I saw the movie, but it’s one of those movies that you’d never forget and some of the stunning imagery stay with you for years. The film was shot in 28 countries for four years and Tarsem didn’t use any stages/sets, insisting on shooting everything on location. Per Wikipedia, Tarsem largely financed the film with his own funds, determined to make the film according to his own vision. He also didn’t want to use special effects because he found that modern techniques would not age well in comparison.

The two locations shot in Bali are Gunung Kawi in Tampaksiring for the Kecak Dance scene and Tegallalang Rice Terrace in Ubud.

Balinese Kecak Dance

Ubud Rice Terrace

Photos courtesy of this blog

Check out the scene of the Kecak dance below. I’ve seen this Balinese Hindu dance and music drama once a long time ago but I can’t wait to experience it again once I’m in Bali.

Check out the BTS video in various locations:

It’s been almost 20 years since it came out. I wish they’d re-release this movie in theaters, I’d definitely be up for watching it again on the biggest screen possible. The spectacular visuals are truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen, Tarsem was influenced by iconic artists, even the cinematic poster was influenced by Salvador Dali’s painting. I love Lee Pace in the lead role, which apparently led to him getting cast in The Hobbit after Peter Jackson saw his performance here. He’s got a lovely chemistry with young Romanian actress Catinca Untaru and their scenes are beautiful to watch.

Check out this extensive article from Offscreen.com about the film. Its writer says ‘The Fall is a difficult film to describe—instead, it must be experienced.’ I absolutely agree with that sentiment, so if you haven’t seen this movie, I implore you to check it out!

So I won’t be posting for the next two weeks but will resume blogging again after Memorial weekend. Take care everyone!