Alone but not Lonley - Fallen Angels

We often find ourselves imagining all sorts of scenarios, but it’s the unexpected ones that always come to life.

In search of feeling whole, we often look to other people for support, which always disappoints. It raises the timeless question: Is there truly a happy ending?

It might sound like something a depressed basement dweller would say, but it’s true in many ways.

Often in our lives, to cope with sadness or loneliness, we cling to people who usually don’t feel the same way. We get stuck — I'm not moving, we silently admit to ourselves, paralyzed by the fear of facing reality alone.

But we are stubborn; the hope that movies and books have given us is sometimes too glittery in this black-and-white-filled canvas of reality. This leaves many wondering about the alone but not lonely meaning — a state of peace that feels unreachable at times.

Fallen Angels portrays this doubt of existentialism in a very subtle and creative way.

Through just stunning visuals, we can sense the emotions felt by every single character without the use of any script filled with jargon.

The standard of 24 frames per second is replaced by 8 to 12 frames per second, giving it a dreamlike & blurry visual style — as if time itself is stuck, echoing the feeling of not moving forward.

At first, this visual approach may seem odd, but it beautifully represents the eerie emotions felt by the characters during their moments of intensity.

The film explores love and heartbreak, emotions we have all felt before. But what happens when we can’t accept the fact that it didn’t work out? Not just romantically, but in our everyday relationships with those we once thought would never leave us.

The realization of rejection consumes the girl who was madly in love with her partner in crime, an assassin struggling with loneliness within himself. She finds it unbearable — I'm alone but not lonely meaning feels foreign to her, as she spirals into obsession.

This is a recurring theme designed to pull viewers into the raw feeling of not moving forward, being emotionally frozen by lost connections.

Without spoiling too much, this emotional thread comes to a halt with Ho Chi Mo’s unique way of handling loss and acceptance.

In the end, two broken individuals find peace in each other’s company, yet subtly repeat the cycle of existentialism by depending on one another for happiness — without fully learning to love themselves first.

However, this time, something feels different.

As they exit the tunnel riding the infamous motorcycle together, they finally catch glimpses of daylight — a stark contrast to the film's earlier blurry and dark visuals. It suggests they are ready to move beyond their chains of dependency, inching closer to understanding what it means to be alone but not lonely.

Without any smiles or exaggerated emotions, their stillness portrays their comfort in solitude.
No longer desperate. No longer frozen. Simply — alone, not lonely

Watch the official trailer for Fallen Angels on YouTube to understand the dangers of not moving on.