One has to feel for former music video director Tarsem Singh. Hollywood just doesn’t seem to trust him after his first studio offering – the strange, yet remarkably well-shot Jennifer Lopez vehicle The Cell – tanked almightily at the box office. Now, this in itself is disappointing, as The Cell was far from a disaster. Stunning visuals (and adequate performances) aside, it was a unique take on the overused serial killer story that was at times both breathtaking and disgusting. Far from perfection, but certainly above average.

Unfortunately, the afore-mentioned box-office performance has led to The Fall sitting on distributors shelves for almost two years… which is a shame, as it’s a marvellous filmic experience that deserves an audience.

Set in a hospital outside Los Angeles in the 1920’s, it tells the story of Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) a young girl healing from a broken arm and gifted with an excess of imagination. Free to explore as she will, she one day happens upon an injured stuntman named Roy (Lee Pace), who, after finding one of the girls keepsakes, agrees to tell her a story in exchange for help in battling his own inner demons.

However, here the descriptions of plot and narrative cease. Not only do they do the film no justice, they are also alarmingly irrelevant. Simply put, The Fall is an experiment in style and concept, a magical celebration of youthful imagination as cinematographically rich as it is pure of heart. Shot in locations across over 18 countries, the film covers an enormous amount of ground. Costume designs are often inspired, symbolism peppers throughout, and though Tarsem’s claim that absolutely no special effects were used is a little hard to swallow, the constructed sets and real-world vistas are magnificent. This is truly a visual film, comparable to Ward’s What Dreams May Come only far more surreal in its honesty and inspiration.

So, why has this wholly appealing film yet to gain release in Australia? The absence of any "big" names in the cast probably has something to do with that, as well as it's relatively poor box-office takings in the US. Also, it's by no means a powerhouse in respect to acting and dialogue, with the script barely reaching beyond functionality and several performances little more than walk-on's. And though the leads are quite good (Pace in particular brings an angry vulnerability to a straightforward character), this is Alexandria's film, with non-english speaking Untaru stealing every available scene, adding a level of emotional depth to the character that far surpasses expectation.

In short, The Fall should be allowed it's time to shine on our shores, regardless of money-making merit. Sometimes funny, often beautiful and always captivating, it is original (if slightly flawed) film-making, and is well worth going out of your way to see.