Horror is a fun genre because you can almost aways learn something from it. All In Entertainment’s low budget horror fantasy The Fall of Barsisa, brings a classic Islamic tale into the modern age. Fleeting morals and straying from the path towards righteousness in small increments is all it takes to banish your soul to the depths of Hell, as this devout holy man finds out. His journey is detailed with modern sentiments in a way that tells the same story, but relates to today directly.
A modern re-imagining of the fable of the same name. Three brothers leave their ailing sister in the company of a devout and honourable figure as they are guided by an ambiguous stranger through treacherous terrain in search of a remedy.
The Fall of Barsisa, IMDB
Barsisa (Ashutoshkumar Jha) has already renounced his faith, furthering himself from his holy teachings. Desperate, a group of brothers seeks out treatment for their sick sister from a mysterious doctor (Joshua Johansson) who turns out to be more a snake in the grass than a man of science. Barsisa struggles with helping her and helping himself — tempted endlessly with her beauty and his moral obligations. Time is of the essence as they travel the English countryside in search of a cure… no matter the price.
The Fall of Barsisa is more of a psychological fear than an outright monstrous one; for example, the physical threats are few and far between, substituted out for perceived threats towards one’s soul. Barsisa hears voices telling him awful things that lead him further and further from the salvation he once knew. With the exception of one gunshot to someone’s head, the violence is off-screen. Considering the story stems from religious teachings, this is fine by me. Not every horror film needs to be endlessly violent.
Sticking to that theme, The Fall of Barsisa is based in theology, something I did have to look up halfway into the film. Without that context, the story might be a little hard to follow; that said, I’d consider this film to be mildly educational in both the theological and historical sense. Based on my very limited, surface-level findings of the original tale, The Fall of Barsisa looks to be pretty on the nose, and for that, I give it kudos.
Now it wouldn’t be a Let’s Talk Terror review if I didn’t point out its independent production. Reportedly made on just Β£500, The Fall of Barsisa breathes every bit of “indie” there is to breathe. While the sound was definitely an issue, going back and forth from loud to barely audible dialogue (which in their defense, at the time of this writing, the filmmakers are working on subtitling), I appreciated the wide scope told to us through landscapes. The Fall of Barsisa is a journey, not just in its literal sense but in a figurative one. The shots of the group traveling across rolling hills, through dense forests, and standing vulnerable in pitch black darkness work to widen the scope of what all can be lost. The sick sister’s life isn’t the only thing at stake, but Barsisa’s humanity; his sins are broadcast straight up into the swirling skies above with nothing to shield him from the wrath of his creator.
The Fall of Barsisa works, but only if you put in the work as well. It helps to have a basic understanding of the originating story — and a good pair of headphones. It may seem lacking in terms of general filmmaking when you focus on the production itself, but the independent spirit is certainly alive with the filmmaker’s dedication to historical references and giving them new life in the age of secularism.
For more on The Fall of Barsisa, visit All In Entertainment on Instagram.
