Falling (2026) – When A Dreamer and a Realist Fall for an Opportunist

Two young men, a writer who is a romantic and a dreamer, and a lawyer who is a realist and a womanizer, fall for a woman who could change their lives around, who barely likes to stick around anywhere.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Falling” Film Details

  • Director(s): Colin Krisel, James Crisel
  • Writer(s): Colin Krisel, James Crisel
  • Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 47 Minutes
  • Public Release Date (In Theaters): October 9, 2026
  • Public Release Date (Digital): November 10, 2026
  • Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Young Adult
  • Content Rating: Not Rated
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Movie Summary

Jake and Johnny were friends first. They were inspiring writers who met in college but while Johnny kept the dream alive, wrote a magnificent article which attracted the attention of publishers who offered book deals, Jake was realistic. He became a lawyer, carved a path to allow himself the freedom to work where he wanted, while still being with a firm, and enjoyed life. The two men, while they chose diverging paths were still close friends and admired how they were opposites.

Johnny was also looking for the one, and if he didn’t feel that spark, or it didn’t last, as shown by Brooke, he would end things and find someone new in no time. Jake? He never tried to be Mr. Right, he wanted to be Mr. Right Now and has slept with a multitude of women, even some in the friend group, like Diana.

But then came Jillian. She’s from Michigan, has traveled the world, bouncing from one opportunity to the next, and recently has settled in the London area. She works for a hotel, handling their events, and when Jack meets her by chance, he thinks this could be Johnny’s next girlfriend, but ends up falling for her himself.

However, what happens when a realist becomes a dreamer and a dreamer realizes someone else may have coverted the dream he wants so bad? Never mind, when an opportunist, which we don’t mean in any nefarious way, realizes there may not be a better opportunity out there?

Cast and Characters

Jack (KJ Apa)

  • Character Summary: A lawyer by trade, Jack is known as the guy to go to if you want something fun, casual and unserious – because he will give it to you. But, whether or not, if he found something real, he would stay the course, Jillian reveals.

Johnny (Archie Renaux)

  • Character Summary: After early success in his career as a writer, Johnny has been stuck on trying to prove initial interest is worthy of long-term interest. But, that may not only describe his writing career but also his approach to relationships.

Jillian (Isabel May)

  • Character Summary: Jillian has a passport filled with stamps, and a resume which names almost every tourist destination you can think of. But while she has never planted roots anywhere for long, she has increasingly found herself enjoying working with people, handling logistics for events, and might be willing to slow down for the right person.

Diana (Alex Jarrett)

  • Character Summary: Diana is a bartender, is bi, and is Johnny and Jack’s best friend, outside of one another.

Brooke (Emma Laird)

  • Character Summary: Brooke is Johnny’s most recent girlfriend who is a corporate accountant.

Collected Quote(s)

  • “When it’s real, don’t slow it down.” – Diana
  • Just because it’s messy doesn’t mean you didn’t grow. — Jack

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

How Well-Developed Johnny, Jake, and Jillian Were [84/100]

With growing up in an era where women in movies like this were almost purely defined by how attractive they were, it is still an adjustment to have three-dimensional characters like Jillian. While presented as potentially flighty, the best way to present her really is as someone who is an opportunist. However, not in the usual sense.

What is quickly established is that Jillian is unattached. Her parents are divorced, she has no siblings, and she is not necessarily trying to find herself as much as better understand who she is in relation to her environment and the people in it. It makes it so, similar to Charlie Harper, what you get is a female lead who is complicated, flawed at times, but you’re allowed to understand her to the point where she is far more than a love interest for the boys. She is someone you want to invest in as an individual.

The movie even sets this up well by Jack’s initial take on her, presenting the stereotype you can imagine for her. She forcefully pushes back and presents herself as, yes, someone adaptable, easy to love, but also someone who can love you for who you are, which can be difficult when you don’t love yourself.

Then with the boys, the beauty of them is that they are opposites and the comparison between them is fun. The dreamer that is Johnny, who works in a bookstore, is often seen working on his book, and while it isn’t 100% clear what the story is, you can tell his identity is wrapped up in this. Jack, on the other hand, while he was interested in writing at one time, is now all about living. He travels, works hard enough to have nice things, and as the film goes on, you see why this friendship exists.

Yes, on paper, they seem like opposites. Johnny is the romantic, a serial monogamist who doesn’t seem to be that materialistic. Meanwhile, Jack is the fun-time guy who loves them and leaves them, and likes things a certain way, even if it comes at a cost. But by the end of the movie, it becomes clear that what makes these two different is the timeline they are on. Jack is more for the immediate, even if it is imperfect in some eyes, while Johnny wants things perfect to the point of self-sabotage. They both, eventually, present the idea that they want the same thing; it is just how patient they are willing to be to get it.

Which makes their individual paths, alongside Jillian’s, filled with storylines that don’t just seem like drama that could make a good movie, but really have you think about not only the romantic relationships at the core of Falling, but also the platonic relationship between Jack and Johnny.

Diana & Brooke [83/100]

Diana is a mutual friend of Johnny and Jack, and Brooke is Johnny’s last girlfriend at the start of the movie. It may surprise you how much you care about these two. Mind you, we never see either one on their own, living their life. Either Johnny or Jack are in conversation with them. Yet, as Diana talks about a relationship she is in that was unexpected, you want to peer more into her individual life.

Then with Brooke, she was a notable surprise because, with how Jack loves them and leaves them, Brooke sticking around was a bit of a shock. Yet, it also pushed you to understand Johnny more, and not just as a boyfriend but also as a person. For as much as he is a dreamer, he also appears to be one who can realize that his ability to live off his potential is finite. He had a hit article years ago that may still wow people, but he is trying to get into an industry obsessed with what you are going to put out next and whether it is as good as the last thing.

And I think Brooke shows how Johnny has taken that on. When he tries to get into dating and hits roadblocks, I think the question of whether this situation was as good as what he had, or could have, with Brooke comes up. And note, Brooke isn’t waiting around for Johnny to choose her romantically, which adds another layer to their dynamic.

But, generally speaking, when it comes to the ladies introduced in Falling, properly introduced anyway, they do a real good job in making you wish this was the type of movie which cared about the Bechdel test.

The Story and Dialogue [85/100]

It’s easy to imagine Colin and James Krisel adapted a book when you watch Falling. It feels too detailed, too layered, the characters too fleshed out. Yet, as discussed above, you get three main storylines, two B-storylines you’ll wish got their own spotlight, and then there is the dialog.

At times, the look and storylines can make you feel like this is a Netflix original, made to cash in on actors who are well known and easy to market but not necessarily box office draws. However, what pushes Falling over is how characters talk to each other. Often, when we talk about storylines, it is about what happens and people’s reactions, but Falling makes you think about what people say, and not just because Jack and Johnny are writers, but Jillian joins in this too. It’s part of what helps you understand how worldly she is. That she wasn’t just some girl from the Midwest who wanted to see the world and made a way, but she truly did settle in places, learned about the people and the culture to a point, and now carries those experiences with her.

And it is in listening to these people that you get a sense that these aren’t characters made to deliver a story, but people who are communicating, and the culmination of all that creates a story. There is a difference in intent, and Falling is one of the first examples in a while of a film that cares more about what characters say than focusing on creating a series of reactions.

On The Fence

Jillian’s Co-Worker Notably Out Of Place [72/100]

Jillian’s co-worker creates a huge blemish in the film. He is a gay man, married, and while everyone has layers and feels complicated and makes you want to peer behind the curtain, that isn’t the case for Jillian’s friend at all. He comes off like a stereotype and never evolves beyond that. He is just sassy, sarcastic, a touch shady, and feels like this out-of-place comedy relief in a film where that type of character isn’t needed.

If anything, as the sole married person, you’d think when it comes to someone like Jillian, with divorce wounds from her parents, and an easy time with being a serial monogamist like Johnny, her co-worker would be her north star. Yet, all you may remember him for are his weak attempts at quips and the feeling that he belongs in a formulaic movie that relies on the gay-best-friend trope.

Failing The Bechdel Test [74/100]

As much as we praise Jillian and how the film writes its female characters, unfortunately, as much as the female characters are developed, there is no denying that their existence largely is about the men in their lives – almost always a boyfriend, guy they are dating, or someone they could potentially date. Now, to Jillian’s credit, albeit with Johnny, she does talk about childhood dreams and an alternate life she dreamed of for herself. But this is to set up Johnny developing a crush on her, so it is tainted.

But, again, there was a time when Jillian would just be a cute blonde, who was written for the audience to like in a superficial way like the men in the movie. So, while we’re making progress, we’re not at the end goal just yet.

Overall

Our Rating (79/100): Mixed (Divisive)

The core thing Falling worth seeing is the relationships between Jack, Jonny, and Jillian. However, I think we’re coming to a place where we can’t just be excited about well-written women in film who are complex, flawed, and easy to invest in or get a reaction out of. They also need to have full lives outside of the man or men in their lives. So consider us on a precipice when it comes to where media is, with Falling as a sign that we’re in a good place regarding the simple goal of developing women into full-fledged humans, but now needing them to have full-on lives beyond what men they are attracted to or who are attracted to them.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.