Sound of Falling In die Sonne schauen

An eerie, unsettling century-spanning saga, Sound of Falling collages together the stories of four generations of farmworking women living on the banks of Germany’s Elbe River. In a region historically defined by decades of turmoil—two world wars and Germany’s East-West divide—the film’s ghostly farmhouse setting breathes a sense of profound disquiet as the events that unfold there are echoes of the violence around them.

Connecting characters across time—from Alma in the early 20th century to Lenka in the present day—director Mascha Schilinski observes moments of poetry, horror, and grace. As we observe each woman bearing up with her lot in life, this year’s Grand Jury Prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival offers a profound and moving reflection on resilience and the ripple effects of inherited trauma.