Rating: NR | Runtime: 149 minutes
Release Date: August 28th, 2025 (Germany) / January 16th, 2026 (USA)
Studio: Neue Visionen Filmverleih / MUBI
Director(s): Mascha Schilinski
Writer(s): Louise Peter & Mascha Schilinski

How long can you act happy without anyone noticing?

An intensely matter-of-fact account of misogyny, the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, and the cyclical nature of damaging historical patterns spanning four generations of life on the same farmland at the border of what became and inevitably stopped being East and West Germany. So melancholic in its narration and events that these girls’ only hope for escape from the violence and abuse is to fantasize about suicide or flying away.

I couldn’t quite vibe with the pacing or structure due to never quite knowing who was talking (either Erika had the least screen-time by far or I was more confused than I thought because I only really remember Alma, Angelika, and Lenka’s storylines). But my God was this a gorgeous work of sensory cinema. The sound design is impeccable and I loved the cinematography constantly breaking the fourth wall so that we float above the scene as spirits for the characters to gaze directly into our eyes. Mascha Schilinski has created a wealth of unforgettable moments, both beautiful and disturbing alike.

And I definitely laughed out loud at the aftermath of the nailed slipper prank. Objectively hilarious.

Sound of Falling had an Oscars-qualifying run on November 14th, 2025.

---

Hanna Heckt in SOUND OF FALLING; courtesy of MUBI.