Falling masters

Cast:
Gabriella Hegedûs (Nicole), Birgit Minichmayr (Brigitte), Nina Proll (Nina), Kathrin Resetarits (Carmen), Ursula Strauss (Alex)

The scattered thirty something women in Barbara Albert's freshly astute, femme-centric film come together for the funeral of an influential former teacher (for some, a lover as well). Life apart has weakened their links to one another: One's a driven businesswoman, another a glamorous actress, yet another has been battered by hard times and arrives with a sullenly forbearing teenage daughter in tow. Afterwards, they continue to hang out.

IFF New York 2006

Falling traces the interconnected lives of a group of people trying to make sense of the world around them and their place within it.
Albert wrote Falling for her five stars; it is truly a love letter to these fine actors. Roughly the same age as the director, they are among the most vital performers in contemporary Austrian cinema. And rarely does one come across a film so focused on its characters: it belongs to these women. Falling gives form to the most abstract philosophical concerns using the simplest of materials. And as Albert reveals her character's emotions one layer at a time, the effect is transfixing.

Dimitri Eipides, IFF Toronto 2006