Fallaway Review: A Thoughtful Film!

Fallaway is a coming-of-age drama that confronts the uneasy intersection of faith and sexuality, and selfhood. Written and directed by Kabir McNeely, who also stars in the lead role, the film unfolds within a tight fifty-one-minute runtime, using an intimate campus setting to examine how religious fundamentalism can quietly morph into psychological control. Set in San Francisco, the film positions itself less as a romance and more as a pressure chamber, where belief systems collide with lived identity and the cost of authenticity becomes painfully clear.

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The story follows college freshmen Caden (Christian Puentes) and Giovanni (McNeely), who meet through a seemingly welcoming Bible group on campus. What initially feels like a space for belonging and spiritual growth soon reveals its rigid, manipulative core, guided by authority figures who frame queerness as moral failure. As Caden and Giovanni’s connection deepens, the group’s ideology tightens around them, forcing both young men to choose between emotional safety and self-erasure. The narrative steadily escalates from quiet unease to psychological threat, framing faith not as inherently harmful, but as something weaponized through shame, fear, and control.

What works best in Fallaway is its focused exploration of the conflict between faith and sexuality. This is a theme often discussed but not always examined with emotional specificity, and the film succeeds in grounding it within recognizable, lived experiences. The language of sin, “correction,” and moral deviation is disturbingly familiar, echoing countless real-world cases of LGBTQ+ individuals being shunned or pressured to change. Despite its short runtime, the film dives surprisingly deep into this subject, capturing the internalized guilt, confusion, and fear that such environments foster.

The performances play a major role in selling this emotional weight. Kabir McNeely brings vulnerability and restraint to Giovanni, while Christian Puentes gives Caden a layered emotional arc, balancing tenderness with internal conflict. Their performances feel sincere and lived-in, anchoring the film’s heavier themes with authenticity.

That said, the film’s brevity also works against it in places. While the emotional foundation of the relationship is clearly established, the development of their chemistry feels slightly compressed. The narrative progression accelerates rapidly in the latter portion, particularly as it approaches its shock ending. From a structural standpoint, the film could have benefited from additional runtime to allow certain emotional beats to breathe. Some transitions feel abrupt, and key relational moments are resolved through narrative shorthand rather than fully dramatized progression. The result is an ending that lands with impact, but also with a sense that the story arrived there a bit too quickly.

In the end, Fallaway is a thoughtful, emotionally charged film that tackles a difficult subject with sincerity and restraint. Strong performances and thematic clarity carry it far, even if its pacing occasionally limits its emotional payoff. Despite it’s imperfections, the film remains a powerful reminder of the damage inflicted when belief systems deny people the right to exist as they are, and the courage it takes to choose truth over silence.

‘Fallaway (2025)’ Rating – 3/5