by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $13.95
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Alan King, Bill Evans, Greg Fleet, Snjezana Hadzic, Leila McDougall, Jodi Saunders
Intro:
… a low-key sit down with newfound friends over a date cake and a couple stubbies.
The spiritual and, on occasion, narrative sequel to writer/director/editor/actor Alan King’s debut feature Vincent, La La Falls is a remarkably understated follow-up. Where Vincent was colourful in visuals and psychological whimsy, dissecting the titular author (played by King himself) and his beastly cerebral baggage, La La Falls is closer to a Coens film in its character-driven, shaggy dog narrative, with Vincent and his bestie Gunther (Bill Evans) becoming embroiled in the criminal underworld after finding a golden chain necklace in a local dam.
The reliance on natural light, minimal or even non-existent set dressing, and handheld cinematography creates a similar tone to something that came out of the Dogme 95 movement. The continuity editing is pretty rough, though, with more than a few shots of actors juttering across the frame between cuts.
But even with that blemish, its overall visual presentation is a fitting foundation for a story carried by the people on-screen, with the script serving as more of a suggestion for things the characters can do than a rigid structure. Essentially, the laisse-faire pacing could have turned quite fidgety if it weren’t for the strength of the performances. King and Evans have the kind of rapport where just watching them chat about golden asteroids, or whether a car is turbo or not, is entertaining enough to carry the film for its entirety.
Where this becomes legitimately impressive, and a testament to King’s ability with directing actors, is that most of the performers aren’t professional actors, and the tangible effect from that lack of polish adds further to the film’s down-to-earth sensation. Snjezana Hadzic as Gunther’s sister Vesna deserves commendation in particular, channelling a veritable mountain of genuine emotion, heart, and Ocker mateship within the space of a single dinner table convo.
The most surprising thing about La La Falls, though, is just how calming and meditative it is. For a story involving Russian gangsters running a Mexican restaurant, the repercussions of killing a sex offender, and Greg Fleet orchestrating violent shakedowns in a dental office, its conversational pace and organic delivery are more soothing than exciting. It’s actively the most sedate work King has directed thus far, with his previous filmography usually angling towards scratchier and angrier cinematic textures. Seeing this gentler side of his sensibilities not only allows his catalogue some variety, but it makes the on-screen bonding hit much harder. Conversations feel like you’re sitting down with ol’ mates, where just being around them makes the moment worth experiencing, regardless of the specific topics being discussed. The kind of mates who trust each other so implicitly that, when they find each other digging graves, their first response is to offer help with the shovelling. It’s so emblematic of Aussie mateship, it’s enough to make you grin from ear to ear.
La La Falls is a low-key sit down with newfound friends over a date cake and a couple stubbies. For its microbudget means, it uses lo-fi filmmaking to effective ends just to create a space for its incredibly charming cast to show the strength of their bond with each other. It may lack the chewier theming of Vincent, or the visceral tension of Wild Will, but there’s a mundane pleasure to be found in just watching Vincent and his mob dig into the ground, and themselves, for the things that really matter. If you’re having an off day, this should fix you up.
La La Falls premieres in Melbourne on Saturday 14 November 2026, more here.
