Sound Of Falling: London Film Festival Review. By Jordon Searle.

Have you ever wondered what your family experienced over the years and whether they shared any of the same moments as you? Is there a narrative thread that spans generations and keeps us all on the same journey? German filmmaker Mascha Schilinski explores this theme in her acclaimed second feature, using stunning, technical cinematography to depict four generations of girls living in the same farmhouse across a hundred years.

Sound of Falling is set in the Altmark region of Germany, on a farmhouse beside the river Elba. Alma (Hanna Heckt), a young girl, observes All Souls’ Day, honouring her family members who have passed by looking at their ‘death photo’ on the mantelpiece, a common practice at that time. Alma is fixated on a picture of her deceased sister, who bears an uncanny resemblance to herself. A generation later, a young woman named Erika (Lea Drinda) watches Fritz (Filip Schnack), a family member with an amputated leg. When all of the women attempt to escape the farm during WW2, she is unable to leave.

Set in the 1980s, Angelika (Lena Urzendowsky) is a teenage girl desperately trying to mature and leave the farmhouse while discovering her sexuality. She is exploited by her uncle, and her cousin becomes increasingly attracted to her as well. In the present day, Lenka (Laeni Geiseler) is a teenage girl who moves to the farmhouse with her parents and younger sister. When she meets Kaya (Ninel Geiger), a girl of a similar age who seems very cool despite her standoffish ways, she tries her best to emulate her. All four generations grapple with trauma and pain, both within themselves and those around them, all on the grounds of the old farmhouse.

The story is non-linear, switching between eras scene by scene, which can be quite startling when it happens for the first time. No warning, no title card, just the start of a new scene with a new family, but the same farmhouse location. This style of storytelling can be slightly exhausting at times; you are left feeling that you would have preferred a film centred on each era, as they are all incredibly interesting. The most engaging period was the oldest, which had an eerie and compelling performance from Heckt, who continually looked down the lens of the character, unnerving the audience in every scene. As the film goes on, the eras become less and less interesting, but the performances from all of the girls are equally phenomenal.

Sound of Falling is one of those films that showcases utterly perfect cinematography. Not a single frame is wasted, and everything seems carefully planned. The camera glides around like a haunted, voyeuristic spirit, peering through keyholes at grieving mothers and couples making love. It is one of the best shot films of the year, a triumph in cinematography that uses the 4:3 aspect ratio to great effect, creating some scenes that are intensely claustrophobic and horrifying. Schilinski and DoP Fabian Gamper have succeeded in crafting a flawless film that also features some of the best use of montage seen in years.

With a more refined story, Sound of Falling could have reached the heights that the technical aspects of the film set, but the non-linear style makes this more of a head-scratcher than it needs to be. All we know for sure is that whatever Schilinski does next will undoubtedly be one to watch.

Rating: 7/10

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