THE SOUND OF FALLING

Inspired by the discovery of a 1920s photograph, this film spans four timelines – the 1910’s, 20’s, 80’s, and 2020’s. It follows four young women and their families living in a grand, though clearly cursed, German farmhouse. Plot wise it feels as though every scene was written on a scrap of paper, thrown into a bowl, and pulled out at random to determine the narrative order. This disjointed approach makes the story difficult to follow as it constantly leaps between eras and characters. Overall it’s relentlessly bleak. Several women fall victim to physical and s*xual abuse at the hands of creepy, predatory men who face no accountability. Two themes run through the film – eels and the word “warm.” Ive been put off hearing the latter for life after one particular scene featuring a gratuitous, purposeless close up of a male appendage on a woman’s face. And don’t even get me started on the mother whose expression of grief is to randomly retch. Shock factor seems to be the order of the day. The cinematography is equally frustrating – blurry, dark visuals are obviously an artistic choice, but the messy focus is irritating and the interior scenes are often too shadowy to make out what’s happening. Combined with multiple narrators, it’s a task to decipher who is speaking. By the end, only female characters die and nothing is resolved, despite a grueling 2 hours and 35 minute run time. There wasn’t even a dog! I am perplexed how this movie tied for the prestigious Cannes Jury Prize with a masterpiece like ‘Sirat’. The sound of falling asleep. Arduous!