A shiny little gem stilled into a silent honesty, Sound of Falling leads a cathartic awakening of the soul, a soaring of the heart
It is very meticulous in what it lets us hear, the fall most of the time being silent.
I have tried to put my thoughts about Sound of Falling into words many times, ever since I watched Mascha Schilinski’s second long feature at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema, but have so far ultimately failed to do so. It is a singular experience of a film, a gem so shiny I’m afraid it’s gonna lose its radiance if I touch it too much, give it too much thought.
This year’s Cannes Jury Prize Winner follows four different German girls, all from four different decades, but tied through the farm where they live. Their lives and experiences become increasingly intertwined as they turn to womanhood and the secrets of the place reveal themselves to them.
There is a vaporous aspect to Sound of Falling, as if it couldn’t fully be grasped, nor tied down, its essence ever floating and transforming, sheer, diaphanous. The structure of the film is not set in stone; the order in which we follow the different timelines doesn’t follow a pattern, but rather attaches itself to the experiences of the girls, creating a harmonious flow of occurrences. In consequence, the audience receives a constant familiarity rather than an enigma to solve, where each piece of the puzzle would find a rational space. Here, the emotions set the rhythm, the immaterial perceptions take the center stage, and we are left to just feel, receive intrinsically receive whichever sensation the character tasted.
Sound of Falling is of very few words, and even fewer sounds. It is very meticulous in what it lets us hear, the fall most of the time being silent. And it is in those moments of stillness that unaltered honesty is reached. As those girls’ lives are all dictated by people and norms surrounding them, societal and moral obligations, the film gives them rest from the never-ending humming of directives. A space to exist, explore, and endeavor; embrace their curiosity of life and of death, the opposition but confluence of both. And when the one song of the film comes on, the sole musicality converges timelines, its effect is cathartic, a soar of the heart, an awakening of the soul, of women freeing themselves by existing without barriers.
And we cannot help but be profoundly changed by the mere exposure to it.
Sound of Falling, coming soon.
Photo: MUBI
Comments
Post a Comment