‘Sound of Falling’ Trailer Breakdown: Why This German Film Could Be Cannes’ Dark Horse

You know that eerie feeling when you walk into an old house and the walls seem to whisper? Sound of Falling doesn't just capture that—it weaponizes it. The first trailer for Mascha Schilinski's German epic, Sound of Falling (In die Sonne schauen), is a masterclass in atmospheric dread, stitching together four generations of women bound by a cursed farmhouse. And Cannes—not Berlinale—snagged it. Smart move.

Neue Visionen Filmverleih's teaser opens with a breathless line: “If I command my heart to stop, it would stop.” Cue chills. The visuals? Gorgeously stark—Northern Germany's Altmark region rendered in muted blues and sepias, like a faded postcard stained with secrets. Four women (Alma, Erika, Angelika, Nelly) orbit the same farm across decades, their lives mirroring in unsettling symmetry.

• 1910s: Alma (Hanna Heckt) believes she's doomed to repeat her dead sister's fate.
• 1940s: Erika (Lea Drinda) spirals in a taboo obsession with her wounded uncle.
• 1980s: Angelika (Lena Urzendowsky) teeters between suicide and rebellion.
• 2020s: Nelly (unknown actress) is haunted by dreams she can't explain.

The trailer's genius? It implies the farmhouse itself is the villain—a silent predator recycling trauma.

Schilinski's film echoes classics like The Others and Petite Maman, but with a Teutonic ruthlessness. No jump scares—just creeping existential horror. The Cannes Main Competition slot is a gamble (German films rarely dominate here), but the trailer's Lynchian vibes suggest Schilinski's playing for keeps.

Remember Toni Erdmann (2016)? Another German film that blindsided Cannes with its tonal audacity. Sound of Falling could follow suit—if it balances its sprawling timelines without collapsing under metaphor.

This isn't just a trailer; it's a séance. If the full film delivers, Schilinski might just drill into Cannes' psyche like a metaphysical icepick.

Will you dare step into this farmhouse? Or will its ghosts follow you out?