Sound of Falling

 

Premiering on May 14th, Sound of Falling follows Alma, Erika, Angelika, and Lenka, four girls from the same farm in Northern Germany, and their experiences as they spend their youth there. However, this farm conceals generations of lingering secrets and past trauma. Although separated through time, the lives of the girls begin to mirror one another while the truth of this farm begins to unravel. The film stars Hanna Heckt (Alma), Lea Drinda(Erika), Lena Urzendowsky (Angelika), and Laeni Geiseler (Lenka) as the four main girls the story revolves around. The supporting cast is comprised of Luise Heyer (Christa), Claudia Geister-Bading(Irm), Florian Geißelmann (Rainer), Andreas Ake (Albat), Martin Rother (Fritz), and Konstantin Lindhorst (Uwe). This is the first year that the director of the film, Mascha Schilinski is competing for the Palme d'Or as a part of the official selection in the Cannes Film Festival. She made her film debut in 2017 with the film Die Tochter (Dark Blue Girt), which centers around a couple, Jimmy and Hannah who attempt to rekindle their relationship after being separated for two years, however, their daughter, keen on keeping things the way they were has other plans.

 

There is so much to say about this film, it's beautiful, it's captivating, every scene will leave you asking questions, and when they finally get answered you're left with more questions. This is a film that has so much heart and soul in it, and it definitely pays off. The Cinematographer (Fabian Gamper) kills it in this, the farm and all of the areas around it are put on full display and it is gorgeous, every shot looks like it's a painting, although a dreary one, still a painting. That dreary backdrop would not have been accomplished if it wasn't for the coloristMaik Lezius) who expertly sets the tone with the color grading. At the forefront of all of this are the actors, all doing an amazing job with these difficult and sometimes disgusting characters. Although no role in this was easy to play the four main girls kill it as Alma, Erika, Angelika, and Lenka, all four of them gave it their all for the whole two-hour and twenty-four-minute-long runtime. Lastly, there is the director (Mascha Schilinsk) who combines all these elements to create this experience, where it takes a second or two to understand every scene, and once everything has clicked into place the story comes to life.

 

This is not a movie to suggest to everyone, this is a very specific type of movie that people will either love or find boring, disgusting or bad and even though I loved it, there are some downsides. The last forty-five minutes has a few moments that drag-on for a little long, and since so much has happened already, the almost two and a half hour runtime begans to actually feel like a two and a half hour runtime. Another downside is that there are a handful of voiceovers where the voices aren’t distinct enough to understand who’s talking. This is not helped by the fact that sometimes the voiceovers are from a perspective of a character who is not a part of the story actively on screen, but this aspect does help portray that all four girls have a deep connection unbeknownst to them. Also this didn’t impede much on the film as a whole but it does lead to some confusion for those who can’t understand German or who don’t have good vocal recognition.

 

For every downside there are multiple upsides that carry this film from other films that are shown here. It’s beautiful, it’s personal, and it’s extremely well acted. Almost every scene is causes an internal battle: focus on the beautiful cinematography or on the intriguing plot, never seeing any of the directors previous work this film was eye-opening. This film is maybe not the best thing that will be shown at the festival but it is definitely a film that stays in the mind after leaving the theater.