‘Sound of Falling' Review: A Haunting Meditation on Womanhood and Rural Strife That Heralds the Arrival of a Bold New Talent

It's not every day you see a movie that resembles nothing you've quite seen before, making you question the very notion of what a movie can be. And yet German director Mascha Schilinski's bold second feature, Sound of Falling (In Die Sonne Schauen), is just that: a transfixing chronicle in which the lives of four girls are fused into one long cinematic tone poem, hopping between different epochs without warning, painting a portrait of budding womanhood and rural strife through the ages.
The closest thing that comes to mind is probably Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, although this is Malick by way of Jane Campion and Michael Haneke, shifting between fleeting coming-of-age moments and scenes of resolute darkness and human cruelty. At two and a half hours, and without an easily discernible narrative throughline, Sound of Falling is arthouse filmmaking with a capital A that will best appeal to patient audiences. They will be rewarded by a work that reminds us how the cinema can still reinvent itself, as long as there are directors like Schilinski audacious enough to try.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Lynne Ramsay, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson Toast 'Die, My Love' at Cannes Dinner Hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and Longines
Can Cannes Help California Get Its Groove Back?
Cannes: 'The Creep' Remake Sells for U.K. (Exclusive)
Co-written with Louise Peter, the movie's collage-like structure tells four simultaneous stories though a series of fragments or snaphots (cameras of all types are depicted and used on screen), spanning a timeframe from the early 20th century all the way to the present. Set in the same massive farmhouse that passes down from one family to another, the film never strays too far from its main location, venturing out to wander the nearby fields or dip into a picturesque river separating East and West Germany.
Characters come and go over the years, as cinematographer Fabian Gamper (shooting in the box-like 1:1.37 format) creeps around the house like a ghost discreetly recording events as they happen, catching moments of torment and flashes of occasional humor. Scenes become memories in other scenes, passed on from the living to the dead and back again, cut together by editor Evelyn Rack so that they resonate more as time goes by.
The effect can be disorienting at first, and Sound of Falling is a film whose power slowly accumulates as it progresses. The quartet of girls we follow — Alma (Hanna Heckt) after the turn of the last century, Erika (Lea Drinda) after WWII, Angelika (Lena Urzendowsky) in the GDR of the 1980s and Lenka (Laeni Geiseler) in the present — are not all related, though they share a common history that hangs over the house as both a blessing and a curse.
There is trauma in their lives — sometimes deep unforgettable trauma that never seems to leave the Altmark region where their farm is located. But there is also beauty and self-discovery. Schilinski has essentially made four bildungsroman movies at once, each of them about young women awakening to the possibilities, as well as to the limits, that life has to offer them.
The scenes involving Alma and Erika, both of whom grow up in worlds dominated by a solemn patriarchy and plagued by hardship, feel like they were drawn from period horror movies.
The pale blonde Alma is obsessed by a dead sibling whose portrait rests on a mantle honoring the family dead. In the picture, the girl's corpse is propped up on a sofa alongside some of her favorite toys, in a style of post-mortem photography popular at the time. Decades later, Erika bears a carnal attraction to her Uncle Fritz (Martin Rother), an amputee who lies withering in pain in his bedroom. Much later we learn how he lost his leg as a teenager, in a startling scene of parental savagery.
At first blush, the stories of Angelika and Lenka seem altogether more pleasant, revealing how life in their agricultural community did grow somewhat easier over time. This doesn't mean the girls don't have their own demons to face, whether it's Angelika's burgeoning sexuality and disturbing relationship with her uncle (Konstantin Lindhorst), or the melancholic Lenka's friendship with a neighboring girl (Zoë Baier) trying to get over the death of her mother.
Schilinski finds powerful visual hooks to connect the characters across the decades. They make the same gestures, witness the same things — many scenes are shot from their POVs, through windows, doorways and keyholes — and sometimes live out parallel stories, as if their bodies were marked by the wounds and revelations of earlier times. With its epic scope and precisely drawn figures in the countryside, the film has the weight of a hefty 19th century agrarian novel. But it's told as a pure work of stream of consciousness, as if Virginia Woolf had decided to rewrite a book by Thomas Hardy.
This could prove frustrating for viewers looking to latch on to a single plotline, or even multiple plotlines that merge together seamlessly as an ensemble piece. Sound of Falling (whose German title translates to Looking into the Sun) offers up an altogether different kind of storytelling, made up of momentary sensations, images, emotions and sounds that gradually form a bigger picture.
That picture depicts a world where young women face untold obstacles from one epoch to another, including rape, the death of loved ones, forced sterilization, incest, and a form of rural slavery and prostitution, yet eventually emerge as arbiters of their own fates. Schilinski doesn't spare us all their pain and suffering, nor does she hide the joy and wonder they sometimes experience. Her brave girls carry their forebearers within them from one generation to the next, surging toward the future both damaged and victorious.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
"A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV
The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

7 hours ago

Jon Bernthal reported to join Tom Holland in upcoming 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'

Jon Bernthal could be set to return as the Punisher in "Spider‑Man: Brand New Day," the next installment in the Sony/Marvel Spider‑Man franchise, according to " The Hollywood Reporter." Directed by Shang‑Chi filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, the film is scheduled to begin production in England this summer and is set for release on July 31, 2026, Sony announced via Instagram back in March. Bernthal previously portrayed Frank Castle in Netflix's "Daredevil and The Punisher," later reprising the role in "Daredevil: Born Again" on Disney+. While details remain under wraps, it is reported that the movie picks up after the events of "Spider‑Man: No Way Home," where the world's memory of Peter Parker's identity as Spider‑Man was erased. Tom Holland will return as Peter Parker, with Zendaya and Jacob Batalon expected to reprise their roles as MJ and Ned. The extent of their involvement has not been confirmed. "Stranger Things" star Sadie Sink and "The Bear" actress Liza Colón-Zayas are also joining the cast in undisclosed roles, according to IMDB. "Spider‑Man: Brand New Day" will be the fourth solo Spider‑Man film starring Tom Holland and the first directed by Cretton.

Gizmodo

12 hours ago

• Gizmodo

YouTube Will Add an AI Slop Button Thanks to Google's Veo 3

I told you that AI slop was coming for your YouTube content, and did you believe me? I don't know, maybe you did, but if you didn't believe before, you certainly will now. According to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, who gave a keynote at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Wednesday, YouTube is getting a new tool that generates Shorts from 'scratch.' By scratch, I mean with the help of Google's recently unveiled Veo 3 AI generator. That's right, a one-stop shop for AI slop is incoming, which should be great if you like not ever knowing what's real or fake. Mohan, like many executives in tech and otherwise, is decidedly very excited about the potential for AI to shake up the game. Here's what he said during his keynote, per the Hollywood Reporter. 'Communities will continue to surprise us with the power of their collective fandom. And cutting-edge AI technology will push the limits of human creativity. My biggest bet is that YouTube will continue to be the stage where it all happens. Where anyone with a story to share can turn their dream into a career… and anyone with a voice can bring people together and change the world.' Sure, that's one possibility, I guess. The other possibility? A new and heaping mountain of junk content that neither enriches your general selection of YouTube fodder nor protects the already embattled line between reality and fiction. I hate to be the resident slippery slope guy, but how far are we really going to take this? According to Mohan, pretty freakin' far. 'The possibilities with AI are limitless,' Mohan said during the keynote. 'A lot can change in a generation. Entertainment itself has changed more in the last two decades than any other time in history. Creators led this revolution.' people are using veo3 to bring history to life in the form of vlogs 🤣 via HistoryVisualizedbyAI on YouTube — Tanay Jaipuria (@tanayj) June 15, 2025 It's a little ironic to extol the creator-led content revolution on one hand and introduce a watershed tool that helps vacuum up all of their content and regurgitate it into AI slop on the other, but hey, who's counting? Oh, that's right, Hollywood is. As noted by the Hollywood Reporter, YouTube has already struck a deal with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) that gives artists and athletes control over their likeness. But that's just some artists who are okay with capitulating to the apparent tsunami of video generation. Hundreds of other actors have already voiced their concerns over the potential for AI to ruin their careers and plunder their intellectual property. As a result, they've called for regulation on generative AI and its implementation. You may have gathered from the simple fact of my writing these words right now that those cries for a legal framework haven't really gone anywhere. They may never, to be honest, which brings me back to YouTube's plans for a future AI slop faucet. Here we are, on the precipice of real and fake, looking out at the horizon of God knows what, waiting for the deluge of AI slop to send us kicking and screaming into the ravine of existential AI pain. I'm not saying YouTube's generative shorts are going to be the lynchpin in that frankly depressing, slop-filled future, but there's no denying it's a nod in a sloppy direction. I guess we may as well get used to it. I mean, it can't get any worse than MrBeast, right? Right?

Associated Press

15 hours ago

• Associated Press

DDB Worldwide Named Cannes Lions 2025 Network of the Year for the Second Time in Two Years

Omnicom Network Achieves Record Number of Wins in 76-Year History Under Recently Appointed Global Leadership CANNES, France, June 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DDB Worldwide, part of Omnicom, has once again claimed the prestigious title of Network of the Year at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This marks the second time the network has secured the honor, following its historic first win in 2023. In a record-breaking year, DDB surpassed its 2023 award tally with a total of 112 Lions, further cementing its place at the forefront of the global creative industry. DDB's continued rise comes just one year into the leadership of Global CEO Alex Lubar and President & Global Chief Creative Officer, Chaka Sobhani. Since taking the reins, the duo has steered the network into a new era; one defined by tighter integration, emotionally-led creativity, and a sharpened focus on work that delivers both cultural impact and real business results. Chaka Sobhani commented: 'I literally don't have the words. This means the absolute world to us. I couldn't be prouder of our DDB network and the passion, commitment, and love that has gone behind us getting here. A huge thank you also to our amazing clients for their trust and partnership - we wouldn't be here without you and I hope we've made you proud. Hopefully, this is the start of much more to come from DDB - and on a personal note, I can only say it's been the most incredible first year!' '2023 was a landmark year for DDB, but we saw it as the beginning,' said Alex Lubar. 'The momentum you're seeing now is the result of a global network aligned around a simple belief: creativity is the most powerful force in business. I'm incredibly proud of our exceptional teams and client partners on this collective effort.' 2025 Cannes Lions highlights: This creative surge has been powered by the DDB Global Creative Council, Bullseye, which is led by Global Chief Creative Operations Officer, Susie Walker, and continues to push boundaries across regions. This year, the program has been expanded to include rising creative talent, who have actively shaped DDB's award-winning creative work. DDB's rise has also been fueled by the growing influence of some of its most dynamic agencies, including DDB Paris, Africa Creative DDB, alma, DM9, and NORD DDB, whose bold, culturally resonant work continues to redefine the standard of global creative excellence. As creativity becomes an increasingly vital business differentiator, DDB's Cannes success proves its belief that emotional storytelling not only moves people, it moves markets. This year's winning campaigns have not only earned accolades but delivered measurable growth for clients across categories. ABOUT DDB WORLDWIDE DDB ( ) is The Emotional Advantage Agency. We believe when people feel, they act—and when they act, brands grow. That's the emotional advantage. We use it to deliver intimacy at scale, unlock brand growth, and craft ideas that move people, business, and culture forward. As one of the world's leading advertising and marketing networks, DDB blends creative excellence with strategic effectiveness to drive measurable results. With 140 offices in 60+ countries, we partner with iconic brands like MARS, McDonald's, Molson Coors, Volkswagen, Amazon, Unilever, JetBlue, Adidas, PlayStation, and the U.S. Army. Our impact is proven: we were named the #1 Most Awarded Agency Network in the 2024 Effie Global Best of the Best, Global Network of the Year by Cannes Lions (2023 and 2025), and D&AD Network of the Year for three consecutive years (2021–2023). We've also ranked as a Top 3 Global Network on WARC for 13 of the last 16 years. Founded in 1949, DDB is part of Omnicom (NYSE: OMC). Media Contact [email protected] View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE DDB Worldwide