🎬 Fall Risk 📽️

The story follows Bella (Nicole D'Amico), a fiercely independent artist with vibrant pink hair who wakes up in the sterile, unyielding environment of a long-term neurological care facility. Following a severe, unexplained head injury, she is designated a literal "fall risk," bound to her bed by strict medical protocols, sensory monitoring, and a bright yellow wristband. Deprived of her memory of the incident and struggling with physical instability, Bella's world shrinks to the four walls of her room.

Her isolation is broken by Grace (Kayleigh Shuler), a warm, fiercely protective woman who claims to be her dedicated partner and caregiver. While Grace provides much-needed emotional warmth, touch, and familiarity, her presence slowly begins to feel suffocating. As Bella tries to piece together what actually happened on the night of her injury, she notices unsettling discrepancies between Grace's recollections and the brief, detached medical reports delivered by the shifts of overworked nurses.

The narrative shifts into a claustrophobic psychological thriller as Bella begins to question if the facility is protecting her from the world, or if Grace is using the institutional structure to keep her permanently dependent. The title Fall Risk serves as a double entendre, mapping both Bella's physical vulnerability and the terrifying emotional danger of falling completely under someone else's absolute control.

💡 Did You Know? 🧠
Real-World Origins: The screenplay was heavily inspired by co-writer and lead actress Nicole D'Amico's personal experiences navigating real-world medical institutions and the specific feeling of vulnerability that comes with losing physical autonomy.

Micro-Budget Ingenuity: The production was filmed almost entirely in a singular, decommissioned medical center wing over the course of just two weeks, relying on creative camera angles and intense actor chemistry to build tension rather than expensive set pieces.

Festival Acclaim: The film became an indie darling on the 2024 regional festival circuit—notably screening at the Portland Underground Film Festival—where it drew praise for its accurate, unglamorous depiction of the exhausting realities of chronic patient care.

Listen before watching Audio feature