Falling Into Place is a love story written by Aylin Tezel, directed by Aylin Tezel, and starring Aylin Tezel. That’s a lot of Aylin Tezel so I was nervous going in. What if it’s too much Aylin Tezel? What if Aylin Tezel and I don’t get along? Who even is Aylin Tezel? But I knew within the first few minutes we were in safe hands and I was set to like this Aylin Tezel. In Falling Into Place she’s created a literate and sensitive romance that is allowed to unfold gently. If it’s ‘high-octane action’ you’re after, then your better bet this week is Ballerina, the John Wick spin-off. This is strictly for the low-octane crowd. Do not expect octane.
The film opens on a wintry Isle of Skye where Kira (Tezel, who is famous as an actress in her native Germany, I now know) has decamped for the weekend. So, too, has Ian (Chris Fulton). He’s come to visit his troubled family. Kira had booked into a B&B with her boyfriend but he’s just dumped her and now she’s here alone. There’s a spark from the moment they first lock eyes across a crowded pub bar. They spend the night together but it’s one of those Before Sunrise nights. That is, a night of connection rather than consummation even though the sexual attraction is strong.
They lark about in the dark streets, their conversation sometimes daft, sometimes existential. Tezel writes, directs, stars and looks adorable in a little woolly hat – is there no end to her talent? – which, thankfully, she never pairs with a pastel-coloured cardie as would have to happen if this were a romcom. (There are funny moments but this is very much not a romcom. It’s a rom-noncom.)
Come morning they’re breakfasting in a café when she asks if he wants kids one day and his reply? ‘My girlfriend does.’ ‘You have a girlfriend?’ ‘Yes, why?’ he replies nonchalantly. She feels it as a betrayal. I felt it as a betrayal. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, Ian,’ we think, just as later we will often think: ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, Kira.’ Both of them can be irritating but the script and performances help us understand that they each need to work themselves out before they can be ready for each other. What are they both running from? A cliché, certainly, but handled here with patience and intelligence. What is said is important but what isn’t said counts for just as much.
They do not exchange contact details before returning to their unspectacular London lives. He’s an unsuccessful singer-songwriter who doesn’t treat his girlfriend that well (oh, for heaven’s sake, Ian) while she is a struggling set designer still besotted with her ex (oh, for heaven’s sake, Kira). The middle section is fairly plotless and occasionally drags but there are still some terrific scenes. One between Kira and her ex (Rory Fleck Byrne) is so raw I had to hide behind my hands.
I did find Ian’s issues – which are more to do with his troubled family – rather inexplicable but sometimes people are inexplicable. In fact, you have to admire Tezel’s restraint in not explaining everything away. The narrative propulsion comes from anticipating the moment where they encounter each other again and realise what we’ve known all along: they’re right for each other. This is not a spoiler. We know this arc. Shakespeare knew this arc. Jane Austen knew this arc. Falling Into Place doesn’t do anything new but it does put into place deeply felt, intimate characters you can care about.
Tezel directs with confidence, is a charismatic performer herself, and I was absorbed throughout. I now know who she is and also this: she is good news.
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