January 22, 2026
FILM: SOUND OF FALLING
DIRECTED BY: MASCHA SCHILINSKI
STARRING: HANNA HECKT, LENA URZENDOWSKY, LEA DRINDA
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Germany’s submission for the Best International Film Oscar this year takes place on a rural farm over the course of four generations. The film won a Jury Prize for director Mascha Schilinski at the Cannes Film Festival and a Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival for both Schilinski and the film’s sound. I mention this because such high praise can either draw certain viewers towards or, ironically, away from a film which is as narratively and visually interesting as this one. Schilinski attempts to create a sense of unity among women who are separated by decades. Whether she is successful or not is certainly up for debate. Her method of storytelling is not for everyone, but I believe the script’s layers are worth exploring.
While it isn’t entirely clear exactly which specific years are being portrayed, the first era depicted is from the early 20th Century when women wore wooden shoes and had specific jobs such as tending pigs. In the first scene, Erika (Lea Drinda) appears to walk with crutches and have only one leg. We quickly find out that what she is trying to do is experience what a young man feels who has lost a leg in a “work accident.” It’s a significant scene for it not only establishes the young woman as fascinated by what suffering might feel like but also her attraction to the man as she tastes the sweat in his belly button. Both become motifs which will appear throughout each of the successive generations of women’s stories along with water, death, sensory perception, and, through voice over narration, the distortion of memories.
Schilinski’s narrative approach is to intertwine the young women’s stories which can admittedly be a bit of a challenge to follow. Those most in tune to each era’s costumes might find it easier than I did though. Of course, the later chapters depict the farm house, as big as it is, to be in something of a state of disrepair. The others are a bit more visually blurred which I think is intentional. There’s something in the air at this German farm that links each of the women. Besides their fascination with death, they all like to observe private spaces, whether that be by looking through key holes or simply watching other people.
While Schilinski also explores the sexual abuse that some of these women endure, they are not completely innocent either. At least one of them, Angelika (Lena Urzendowsky), is shown as being the sexual instigator in her relationship with her male cousin. As he points out, she also doesn’t seem to have an issue with her own intimacy with her uncle. Some of this might have to do with the fractured relationships Angelika and some of the other women have their mothers. Young Alma’s mother Emma is cold and rather vicious at times (particularly to her son Fritz.) Another, Nelly, lost her own mother but has little interest in talking about her.
Each of these chapters are filled with imagery that generally captures well the look of the specific eras being shown. The earliest (roughly a hundred years ago) is shot looking almost grainy with washed out colors while the latest (in the era of cell phones) is more visually distinctive while also appearing rather dreary, which is true of most of the settings we see throughout the film. Water being one of the key metaphors, there are a few scenes shot under water which are also quite striking and revealing.
However, the most interesting technical element in the film is its use of sound. Early eras featured use sound as if it was recorded with the same devices employed to make long playing records back in the day. There are even hisses and a sense of scratches on vinyl that help to create the illusion of a time before stereo sound. While dialogue is sparse throughout the film, other sounds getting special emphasis include flies, clinking plates, echoes, pigs, crickets, birds, water, fire, rain and, sadly some howling screams. Of course, the title of the film is in reference to characters literally falling at various times during the film but also those who “fall” for others and the emotional impact that has. Perhaps Schilinski is suggesting that these sounds are what we remember most about the past and our various traumas.
Often, she uses distorted or blurred lenses as narrators recount details about their pasts. Again, these may just be representations of distorted memories. Generally, though, cameras move around rooms and regularly capture the point of view of characters suggesting these are their individual stories to tell.
It’s also striking how much Schilinski emphasizes the power of our senses to recapture memories. Whether it be soft touches or intense physical pain, in addition to our sight and smell, stories may be best remembered by our various sensory abilities.
While it might be difficult for some to discern why some of these characters are so fascinated with death and how eras distinguish themselves, the film is a fascinating look at the connections between women stemming from trauma, abuse, burgeoning sexuality, and relationships with other family members.
Sound of Falling is currently playing in limited theatrical release. It opens this weekend at the Music Box Theater in Chicago.
FILM: SOUND OF FALLING
DIRECTED BY: MASCHA SCHILINSKI
STARRING: HANNA HECKT, LENA URZENDOWSKY, LEA DRINDA
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Germany’s submission for the Best International Film Oscar this year takes place on a rural farm over the course of four generations. The film won a Jury Prize for director Mascha Schilinski at the Cannes Film Festival and a Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival for both Schilinski and the film’s sound. I mention this because such high praise can either draw certain viewers towards or, ironically, away from a film which is as narratively and visually interesting as this one. Schilinski attempts to create a sense of unity among women who are separated by decades. Whether she is successful or not is certainly up for debate. Her method of storytelling is not for everyone, but I believe the script’s layers are worth exploring.
While it isn’t entirely clear exactly which specific years are being portrayed, the first era depicted is from the early 20th Century when women wore wooden shoes and had specific jobs such as tending pigs. In the first scene, Erika (Lea Drinda) appears to walk with crutches and have only one leg. We quickly find out that what she is trying to do is experience what a young man feels who has lost a leg in a “work accident.” It’s a significant scene for it not only establishes the young woman as fascinated by what suffering might feel like but also her attraction to the man as she tastes the sweat in his belly button. Both become motifs which will appear throughout each of the successive generations of women’s stories along with water, death, sensory perception, and, through voice over narration, the distortion of memories.
Schilinski’s narrative approach is to intertwine the young women’s stories which can admittedly be a bit of a challenge to follow. Those most in tune to each era’s costumes might find it easier than I did though. Of course, the later chapters depict the farm house, as big as it is, to be in something of a state of disrepair. The others are a bit more visually blurred which I think is intentional. There’s something in the air at this German farm that links each of the women. Besides their fascination with death, they all like to observe private spaces, whether that be by looking through key holes or simply watching other people.
While Schilinski also explores the sexual abuse that some of these women endure, they are not completely innocent either. At least one of them, Angelika (Lena Urzendowsky), is shown as being the sexual instigator in her relationship with her male cousin. As he points out, she also doesn’t seem to have an issue with her own intimacy with her uncle. Some of this might have to do with the fractured relationships Angelika and some of the other women have their mothers. Young Alma’s mother Emma is cold and rather vicious at times (particularly to her son Fritz.) Another, Nelly, lost her own mother but has little interest in talking about her.
Each of these chapters are filled with imagery that generally captures well the look of the specific eras being shown. The earliest (roughly a hundred years ago) is shot looking almost grainy with washed out colors while the latest (in the era of cell phones) is more visually distinctive while also appearing rather dreary, which is true of most of the settings we see throughout the film. Water being one of the key metaphors, there are a few scenes shot under water which are also quite striking and revealing.
However, the most interesting technical element in the film is its use of sound. Early eras featured use sound as if it was recorded with the same devices employed to make long playing records back in the day. There are even hisses and a sense of scratches on vinyl that help to create the illusion of a time before stereo sound. While dialogue is sparse throughout the film, other sounds getting special emphasis include flies, clinking plates, echoes, pigs, crickets, birds, water, fire, rain and, sadly some howling screams. Of course, the title of the film is in reference to characters literally falling at various times during the film but also those who “fall” for others and the emotional impact that has. Perhaps Schilinski is suggesting that these sounds are what we remember most about the past and our various traumas.
Often, she uses distorted or blurred lenses as narrators recount details about their pasts. Again, these may just be representations of distorted memories. Generally, though, cameras move around rooms and regularly capture the point of view of characters suggesting these are their individual stories to tell.
It’s also striking how much Schilinski emphasizes the power of our senses to recapture memories. Whether it be soft touches or intense physical pain, in addition to our sight and smell, stories may be best remembered by our various sensory abilities.
While it might be difficult for some to discern why some of these characters are so fascinated with death and how eras distinguish themselves, the film is a fascinating look at the connections between women stemming from trauma, abuse, burgeoning sexuality, and relationships with other family members.
Sound of Falling is currently playing in limited theatrical release. It opens this weekend at the Music Box Theater in Chicago.