Introduction
The Joy of Falling is an intimate romantic drama that explores the tenderness and chaos of love when it becomes both a refuge and a risk. Set against the noise of modern life, The Joy of Falling is about finding someone who makes the world a little quieter, even if only for a moment, and what it means when that’s not enough.
Inspiration
The Joy of Falling was inspired by the overwhelming chaos of the modern world, where “everything is noise” – a theme that shapes the film both visually and emotionally. Amelia and Joseph are outsiders – not just in society, but within their own lives. They’re both lost in their own ways, but when they meet, it feels like they’ve found a moment of stillness. I wanted to explore how that kind of love – intense, fragile, and all-consuming – can be both a refuge and a source of destruction. It’s about those raw, unfiltered connections that make us feel human again, even when they’re messy.
The Process
The film was shot over the course of a year: weekends, weekday evenings, whenever we could gather to shoot a few scenes. Our small but dedicated cast and crew poured everything into the project. Bethany Gregson and Ward J Harries, our two leads, delivered consistently remarkable performances.
Beyond the usual challenges of independent filmmaking, I would say the biggest challenge was consistently getting the lived-in, intimate feel to translate from the room to the world we were building in-camera. The hushed dialogue and subtle glances were key to the feel of the film, and capturing that naturalistic performance was something I was extremely sensitive to. The handheld cinematography, the natural lighting and the distorted but soft soundscape soundtrack all came together to achieve the intimate world.
What It Means to Be a Finalist
As a team, we are all ecstatic about being selected, let alone being nominated for “Best British Feature Film”, this is a huge honour for the team. We can’t wait to attend the festival, meet the organisers and other filmmakers, and give the film the UK Premiere it deserves.
Where to Follow
We have an Instagram page for the film @thejoyoffalling, and a website where there are a bunch of behind-the-scenes videos.