---
title: "Sound of Falling"
year: 2025
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/sound-of-falling"
fi1m_id: "sound-of-falling"
imdb_id: "tt28690468"
tmdb_id: 1221061
wikidata_id: "Q133848181"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 84
critics_reviews: 22
published: "2026-09-24T12:01:31.541822+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-24T12:01:32.101045+00:00"
region: "ID"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Sound of Falling (2025)

Directed by Mascha Schilinski · 2h 28m · LSF 21+ · Drama, War

## Identity

Sound of Falling

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/sound-of-falling
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** sound-of-falling
- **IMDb ID:** tt28690468
- **TMDB ID:** 1221061
- **Wikidata ID:** Q133848181
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28690468/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1221061, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133848181

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 84 from 22 reviews

*In a sentence:* A farmhouse so oppressive that a change of century barely counts as fresh air

> Mascha Schilinski’s fractured family drama makes a century of women’s suffering painfully immediate through restless images and insistent sound. We recommend it, though its sustained grimness sometimes makes the individual lives harder to distinguish.

## Synopsis

On a German farm, the lives of women and girls unfold across a century. Alma (Hanna Heckt), Erika (Lea Drinda), Angelika (Lena Urzendowsky) and Lenka (Laeni Geiseler) appear within four interwoven stories, with the farmhouse recurring as time shifts between them. The girls try to understand the adult lives around them, while male authority and unspoken sexuality shape what they can know and do. Superstition runs through the household. The story moves between generations rather than following one girl straight through, finding connections in the farm’s rooms and in experiences the women struggle to put into words.

## Review

*Sound of Falling* asks us to follow four generations of women without the reassurance of a family history told in order. Mascha Schilinski moves across a century on a German farm, making us notice how much suffering persists when the people experiencing it change. We recommend it for the force of its filmmaking, though its unbroken severity sometimes makes distinct lives feel too similar. The early task is to stop trying to put everything in date order and attend to the women.

That is where Lena Urzendowsky’s Angelika matters most. Her performance has enough complexity to resist being reduced to another example of inherited pain, giving us someone to consider beyond her place in the family pattern. Director Mascha Schilinski and co-writer Louise Peter are attentive to girlhood, repressed sexuality and the power men exercise over women’s lives. Urzendowsky helps keep their intricate drama from becoming an exercise in spotting connections, because Angelika remains interesting even when we cannot immediately place her experiences alongside everyone else’s.

Fabian Gamper’s drifting camera makes the farmhouse feel difficult to trust, without continually needing to introduce a new threat. The movement keeps us watchful, uncertain about what deserves our attention. The farmhouse, with production design by Sandra Fleischer and Cosima Vellenzer, works because it still feels inhabited, however uncomfortable the film makes being there. Its rooms remain convincing places for ordinary domestic life, which gives the suffering associated with them more weight than an elaborately sinister setting would.

Evelyn Rack’s editing moves between generations without turning each transition into an explanation. Match-cuts and recurring images ask us to recognise similarities before we have fully sorted out the chronology. This gives the film a persuasive sense of experiences returning, sometimes with more force than a plainly stated connection would have. The joins can be disorienting, but recognising a visual echo for ourselves is satisfying, and the cutting allows those discoveries without stopping to congratulate us for keeping up.

The sound is harder to escape than the chronology. Music by Eike Hosenfeld and Michael Fiedler contributes to a throbbing soundtrack that carries unease across the changes of period. We felt trapped, particularly by the combination of the drifting camera and that persistent pulse; movement offered little release. It is a strong response to provoke in a story about women with restricted lives, though keeping us at that pitch for so long has a cost.

At 148 minutes, the director gives repetition enough time to become oppressive in ways she may not always intend. Once we have understood that the harm will recur, another visual or sonic echo can reinforce something already clear. The quieter distinctions between these women risk being crowded out by the determination to connect them. Even so, the structure makes us work at understanding their experiences, and we would be reluctant to exchange its difficult transitions for a more easily followed account with everything explained on arrival.

Treat this as a coming-of-age drama that requires us to keep several young lives in mind at once. There is no need to have every relationship sorted out before its discomfort begins to make sense. Give it an uninterrupted evening if a demanding, disquieting family film is what you want; leave it for another night if you need relief.

*Fi1m score 82, published 24 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to Sound of Falling, praising Mascha Schilinski’s direction and its account of suffering across generations of women. Praise centres on the drifting camerawork, intricate shifts in time and sound design, which connect the women’s experiences and create a persistent sense of unease. The fragmented storytelling is widely seen as emotionally revealing, while Slant Magazine also singles out Lena Urzendowsky’s complex performance as Angelika.

The reservations concern patience, clarity and the film’s unrelenting bleakness, with a wide gap between the enthusiastic majority and a small mixed minority. Even admirers acknowledge that the slow pace and elusive plot can frustrate. The Wrap finds the complexity and fatalism overbearing despite admiring the visual flourishes. Collider makes the sharper objection that the women are reduced to their trauma without enough being said about it, though it still praises the sensory direction.

## Straight answers

**Is Sound of Falling worth watching?**

*Sound of Falling* is worth watching for its forceful filmmaking and demanding portrait of women’s lives across a century; we score it 82 out of 100. Its fractured chronology rewards close attention, but 148 minutes of sustained grimness can make individual lives harder to distinguish. We recommend an uninterrupted evening, provided relief is not what you need.

**How long is Sound of Falling, and what is it rated?**

*Sound of Falling* runs 2h 28m and is rated 21+ by the LSF in Indonesia. It is a drama and war film.

**Where can I watch Sound of Falling in Indonesia?**

*Sound of Falling* is not on any streaming or rental service in Indonesia at the moment. It is available in 21 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Sound of Falling, and is it suitable for children?**

*Sound of Falling* has a UK 18 certificate and is for adults, not children, with sustained psychological unease central to its effect. Its treatment of women’s suffering and repressed sexuality, combined with a drifting camera and throbbing soundtrack, makes it oppressive rather than merely puzzling. We find that prolonged sense of confinement the clearest reason for sensitive viewers to be cautious.

**How does Sound of Falling compare to The Spirit of the Beehive?**

*Sound of Falling* is more insistently oppressive than [*The Spirit of the Beehive*](https://film.one/film/the-spirit-of-the-beehive), though both explore a child’s understanding of adult fear through watchful images. We recommend the latter for its quieter, more affecting approach; its images can keep us at a distance, but *Sound of Falling* is the more exhausting choice, using fractured chronology and persistent sound to sustain discomfort.

**What should I watch after Sound of Falling?**

After *Sound of Falling*, try [*The Spirit of the Beehive*](https://film.one/film/the-spirit-of-the-beehive) (1973, Fi1m 87): A child’s understanding of adult fear, told through watchful images. Then [*The White Ribbon*](https://film.one/film/the-white-ribbon) (2009, Fi1m 86): For rural repression and the unsettling things children learn from adults.

### Reviews we read (22)

- **Evening Standard**, Nick Howells (5/5): Howells calls the film a startling, hauntingly beautiful work and a singular coming-of-age tale. He especially praises its breathtaking imagery and the uncanny details that linger in the memory. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/sound-of-falling-film-review-mascha-schilinski-b1273707.html)
- **Time Out**, David Hughes (5/5): The review calls the film stunning, praising its heady blend of superstition and folklore. It singles out the way transgenerational trauma and repressed sexuality flow through the story. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/sound-of-falling-review-2026)
- **Sight and Sound**, BFI (95/100, inferred): The critic calls the film brilliant, horrifying and breathtaking, despite its difficult subject matter. They praise its exquisitely controlled, fragmented form for making patriarchal violence across generations feel like a relentless cycle. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/sound-falling-theres-no-escape-from-patriarchy-this-exquisitely-crafted-tale-german-women-through-time)
- **Vulture**, Alison Willmore (95/100, inferred): Willmore calls the film astonishing and says it sets a high bar for the Cannes competition. She praises its impressionistic, intimate approach to four generations of women and their often-unrecorded experiences. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-sound-of-falling-is-already-the-best-movie-at-cannes.html)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (A-): Ehrlich praises the film as a mesmerizing, emotionally rich portrait of recurring girlhood pain across generations. He singles out its haunting use of sense memory and its prismatic, time-folding style. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/sound-of-falling-review-1235122968/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Tim Grierson (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film an astonishing, elusive marvel that transforms its viewer. He praises its spectral cinematography and deftly interwoven portraits of women across generations. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-01-23/sound-of-falling-review-germany-mascha-schilinski)
- **Screen Daily**, Wendy Ide (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a striking, thrillingly ambitious work and says it announces Schilinski as a director of note. She especially praises the assured direction, visual beauty and soundscape that binds the generations’ stories. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/sound-of-falling-review-trauma-seeps-through-a-century-of-womens-lives-in-rural-germany/5204756.article)
- **The AV Club**, Katie Rife (A-): Rife finds the film transcendentally beautiful, though its slow, rigorous approach may test some viewers’ patience. She praises the exquisite visual style and haunting sound design for creating its dreamy, unnerving atmosphere. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/sound-of-falling-review)
- **The New Yorker**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): Chang praises the film as disorienting, enveloping, and brilliantly crafted. He singles out Schilinski’s shifting camera and time structure for making the story’s generational traumas feel newly vivid. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/the-ghosts-of-girlhoods-past-in-sound-of-falling)
- **Variety**, Guy Lodge (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film an astonishing, ambitious achievement that marks a major step forward for Mascha Schilinski. They praise its intricate intergenerational storytelling and its carefully crafted visual and sonic atmosphere. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/sound-of-falling-review-1236397013/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Pat Brown (3.5/4): The review finds the film haunting and poetic, portraying the past as an onerous weight on the present. It praises Lena Urzendowsky’s complex portrayal of Angelika and the film’s visual and audio motifs linking generations. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/sound-of-falling-review-mascha-schilinski/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Jordan Mintzer (85/100, inferred): Mintzer calls the film a transfixing, audacious work that rewards patient viewers, though its fragmented structure may frustrate those seeking a clear plotline. He praises Schilinski’s visual connections across generations and her portrait of young women carrying their forebears’ histories. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/sound-of-falling-review-mascha-schilinski-1236214409/)
- **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (78/100, inferred): Strong finds the film ambitious, compelling and willing to trust its audience despite its deliberate opacity. She particularly praises its atmospheric cinematography and the way it evokes the women’s shared histories. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/sound-of-falling-first-look-review)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (75/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film powerfully unsettling, dense with fear and sadness. He singles out its clammy atmosphere, created through drifting camerawork and a throbbing, disquieting soundtrack. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/14/sound-of-falling-review-cannes-film-festival)
- **The Observer**, Xan Brooks (75/100, inferred): Brooks praises the film as elegant, studied and pitiless. He singles out its folding of a century of family history to illuminate women’s lives on a harsh German farm. [Read](https://observer.co.uk/culture/the-critics/article/cannes-2025-a-misfire-then-cruise-control)
- **Film Comment**, Shonni Enelow (70/100, inferred): The dispatch presents the film positively as a bracing treatment of a recurring image. It singles out its literalist approach to the self-drowned woman, discussed alongside The Currents. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/hair-and-water-sound-of-falling-the-currents-review/)
- **Deadline**, Damon Wise (95/100, inferred): The critic calls the film an exhilarating, all-time-great achievement, though it can be frustrating and challenging. He praises its hypnotic atmosphere, restless camerawork, and distinctive sound design. [Read](https://deadline.com/2025/05/sound-of-falling-review-mascha-schilinski-cannes-film-festival-1236397207/)
- **Eye for Film**, Anne-Katrin Titze (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a powerful, inventive portrait of women’s lives and memories across generations. She especially singles out its haunting imagery of eels and the way the farmhouse’s spaces carry echoes of past suffering. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sound-of-falling-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze)
- **The Skinny**, Eleanor Capaldi (★★★★): The review finds the film an intricate and oppressive exploration of generational trauma. It praises the child’s point of view and the way the film’s interwoven timelines reveal hidden truths. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/sound-of-falling)
- **The Playlist** (64/100, inferred): The article appears to be a review, but its text is unavailable, so the critic's verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be reliably identified. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/sound-of-falling-review-the-body-keeps-the-score-in-mascha-schilinskis-hotly-anticipated-competition-contender-cannes-20250514/)
- **Collider**, Emma Kiely (5/10): Kiely finds the film excessively grim and argues that it reduces its characters to trauma without developing a meaningful message. She praises Schilinski’s sensory direction, especially the sound design and shifts in perspective. [Read](https://collider.com/sound-of-falling-review/)
- **The Wrap** (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film intriguing but overburdened by its complexity and fatalistic tone. They praise its visual flourishes, including match-cuts, visual echoes and bravura long takes. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/sound-of-falling-review-cannes-competition-kicks-off-with-a-time-hopping-mood-board/)

## Details

- **Director:** Mascha Schilinski
- **Director:** Mascha Schilinski
- **Writer:** Louise Peter, Mascha Schilinski
- **Cinematography:** Fabian Gamper
- **Editor:** Evelyn Rack
- **Music:** Michael Fiedler, Eike Hosenfeld
- **Production design:** Sandra Fleischer, Cosima Vellenzer
- **Costume design:** Sabrina Krämer
- **Producer:** Lucas Schmidt, Maren Schmitt
- **Cast:** Luise Heyer as Christa; Lena Urzendowsky as Angelika; Claudia Geisler-Bading as Irm; Lea Drinda as Erika; Hanna Heckt as Alma; Laeni Geiseler as Lenka; Florian Geißelmann as Rainer; Andreas Anke as Albat
- **Runtime:** 2h 28m
- **Certificate (LSF):** 21+
- **Release (Indonesia):** 28 November 2025
- **Genres:** Drama, War
- **Also in:** [Palme d'Or winners](https://film.one/collections/palme-dor.md) (Nominee, 2025)
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-jgGbvLgVo

## Where to watch in Indonesia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Indonesia at the last check.

Also available in: AT, AU, BG, CA, CZ, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, IN, IT, MX, NZ, PL, RO, RS, SE, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- German Film Award Best Production Design 2026: German Film Award Best Production Design (won)
- German Film Award for Best Cinematography 2026: German Film Award for Best Cinematography (won)
- German Film Award for Best Costume Design 2026: German Film Award for Best Costume Design (won)
- German Film Award for Best Direction 2026: German Film Award for Best Direction (won)
- German Film Award for Best Editing 2026: German Film Award for Best Editing (won)
- German Film Award for Best Feature Film 2026: German Film Award for Best Feature Film (won)
- German Film Award for Best Makeup Image 2026: German Film Award for Best Makeup Image (won)
- German Film Award for Best Screenplay 2026: German Film Award for Best Screenplay (won)
- German Film Award for Best Sound Design 2026: German Film Award for Best Sound Design (won)
- German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress 2026: German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress (won)
- Cannes Film Festival 2025: Palme d'Or (nominated)
- Jury Prize 2025: Jury Prize (won)
- Meeting Point Europe Award 2025: Meeting Point Europe Award (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Spirit of the Beehive* (1973), Fi1m 87: A child’s understanding of adult fear, told through watchful images. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-spirit-of-the-beehive.md)
- *Daughters of the Dust* (1991): Another family history that lets memory determine how the story moves.
- *The White Ribbon* (2009), Fi1m 86: For rural repression and the unsettling things children learn from adults. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-white-ribbon.md)
- *Still Walking* (2008): Family pain handled more quietly, with close attention to ordinary domestic behaviour.
- *The Innocents* (1961): Another country house where rooms and sounds make reassurance difficult to sustain.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/sound-of-falling