The Falling (2014) Review: Florence Pugh’s Debut Undone by a Misguided Incest Plot
Looking back at the feature film debut of Florence Pugh in The Falling.
The Falling
Directed by Carol Morley
Written by Carol Morley
Starring Maisie Williams, Florence Pugh
Release Date: October 11th, 2014
Published May 4th, 2025
The Falling is the feature debut for actress Florence Pugh, but if you’ve heard of it, you likely don’t remember it for launching a future movie star. No—if this 2014 teen drama sticks in your memory, it’s because of the needless, disturbing use of incest as a major plot point. Writer-director Carol Morley is clearly talented, but that talent is poorly applied here. She chooses to shock the audience with incest, a transgressive topic that can be portrayed thoughtfully in film, but only if it’s done with purpose. The Falling fails that test.
Based on a true story from the 1970s, the film centers on a wave of fainting spells that strikes a group of students at an English boarding school. Some think it’s mass hysteria, while others suspect it began with one charismatic, popular girl and spread like social contagion. It’s an intriguing mystery that invites multiple interpretations. Unfortunately, the film derails itself by introducing an incest plot that distracts from the otherwise compelling narrative.
Maisie Williams stars as Lydia ‘Lamb’ Lamont, a teenager enthralled by her best friend, Abbie Mortimer (Florence Pugh). Their bond teeters on the edge of romantic, but Abbie’s attraction to boys keeps that tension unresolved. Lydia’s home life is strained—her agoraphobic mother, Eileen, hasn’t left the house in years, and Lydia resents the burden this places on her and her older brother, Kenneth (Joe Cole).
The plot kicks in when Abbie believes she’s pregnant. Conflicted about what to do, she convinces herself that having sex again might end the pregnancy. This leads her to accept the predatory advances of Kenneth during a sleepover at Lydia’s. It doesn’t work, and instead drives a temporary wedge between the girls. But the real break comes when Abbie faints during class and later during detention—where she dies.
After Abbie’s death, the fainting epidemic spreads, starting with Lydia. At home, she lashes out at her mother for her emotional absence. In a misguided attempt to feel close to Abbie again, Lydia throws herself at Kenneth. Their incestuous relationship continues until their mother discovers them together.
The film isn’t graphic—we see only the lead-up and aftermath—but it’s more than enough to leave a lasting impression, and not a good one. The incest subplot does nothing to deepen the characters or enhance the central mystery of the fainting spells. It feels shoehorned in purely for shock value, and in that regard, it succeeds. I wanted to turn the film off.
Thematically, The Falling seems to gesture toward ideas about sexual trauma, but these themes feel tacked on to what is essentially an urban legend narrative. It’s as if Morley stitched together two separate films, neither of which benefits from the union.
My reaction is visceral because the incest plot simply wasn’t necessary. It’s a distraction from a story that had the potential to be unique and powerful. Carol Morley is a gifted director with an eye for detail and atmosphere. Maisie Williams gives a performance full of raw energy and emotion, while Florence Pugh, in her first film, shows early signs of the screen presence that would make her a star.
Why Morley chose to undermine all of this with a deeply unpleasant and gratuitous subplot is baffling.
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Find my archive of more than 24 years and over 2,700 movie reviews at SeanattheMovies.blogspot.com. Visit my modern review archive on Vocal. Follow me on Twitter at @PodcastSean and follow the archive blog at @SeanattheMovies. You can also find me on BlueSky. Listen to me discuss movies on the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast. If you enjoyed this review, consider subscribing to my writing on Vocal. You can also support my work with a monthly pledge or a one-time tip. Thank you!
Florence Pugh debut, The Falling 2014 review, Carol Morley films, Maisie Williams, controversial movie plots, films about mass hysteria, incest in film criticism, psychological teen dramas, UK boarding school movies, movies based on true events
About the Creator
Sean Patrick
Hello, my name is Sean Patrick He/Him, and I am a film critic and podcast host for the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast I am a voting member of the Critics Choice Association, the group behind the annual Critics Choice Awards.
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