Sound of Falling, the second feature from 41-year-old German filmmaker Mascha Schilinski, had its world premiere on Wednesday afternoon at the Grand Théâtre Lumière as part of the Cannes Film Festival, where it is playing in competition, and was greeted with a four-minute standing ovation.
Co-written with Louise Peter, the German-language drama follows four girls — Alma (Hanna Heckt), Erika (Lea Drinda), Angelika (Lena Urzendowsky) and Lenka (Laeni Geiseler) — who live, at different points over the course of a century, on the same farm in northern Germany.
Originally titled The Doctor Says I’ll Be Alright, But I’m Feelin’ Blue, the two-and-a-half hour film is the product of a 34-day shoot. It is still seeking U.S. distribution, and interest in it amongst top-tier distributors is said to be strong.
The Hollywood Reporter’s review raves that Sound of Falling “resembles nothing you’ve quite seen before, making you question the very notion of what a movie can be,” and further describes the film as “a transfixing chronicle” and “cinematic tone poem,” likening it to Terrence Malick’s 2011 Palme d’Or winner-turned-best picture Oscar nominee The Tree of Life, “although this is Malick by way of Jane Campion and Michael Haneke.”
