Evelyn Rack on Editing Emotion and Rhythm in Sound of Falling

In this insightful Filmmaker U interview, editor Evelyn Rack, BFE, shares how she approaches the emotional rhythm and narrative structure of Sound of Falling — a genre‑defying drama told across four generations that premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and won the Jury Prize. 

“Editing shouldn’t just show an emotion — it should help the audience experience it.”
— Evelyn Rack on shaping emotional truth in film editing. 

Rack’s perspective illustrates that editing is not just technical trimming — it’s the art of orchestrating feeling and meaning.

Editing as Emotional Architecture

For Sound of Falling, Evelyn describes editing as building a living emotional logic, not merely a sequence of scenes. Rather than following linear chronology, she emphasizes finding the emotional flow between edits — placing cuts where they deepen feeling, clarify intimate states, or reveal hidden connections. 

In her own words, the edit should let the viewer experience emotion directly, rather than merely observe it — a principle that elevates editing to storytelling rather than assembly. 

Structuring Memory and Feeling

One of the fascinating challenges of Sound of Falling is its non‑linear exploration of four generations of women connected to the same countryside farm. In the edit, Rack treats structure like a puzzle, arranging scenes not simply by time but by emotional resonance. 

That means sometimes holding shots longer to let internal experience settle, or intercutting moments that reflect recurring emotional themes across different eras. These choices guide the audience into feeling the narrative logic as much as understanding it. 

Emotional Rhythm Over Narrative Convention

Rather than adhering to classical story rhythms, Evelyn and her collaborators crafted an editing rhythm where:

• Presence and introspection matter more than plot explanation

• Cuts are emotional hinges, not just transitions

• The audience is invited to inhabit the characters’ inner lives

This editing philosophy aligns with Rack’s belief that editing should let the internal experience of characters shape the viewer’s attention and feeling — creating a kind of shared psychological space between film and audience. 

The Power of Creative Collaboration

Evelyn emphasizes that such emotionally attuned editing only emerges through close collaboration with the director and creative team. By engaging deeply with the director’s intent and the rhythm of performances, she matches editorial decisions with story priorities — shaping each moment not just for clarity but for resonance. 

This collaborative spirit mirrors how many professional editors work: listening carefully, testing emotional hypotheses, and trusting instinct as much as technique.

Filmmaker U: Deepen Your Storytelling Skill

If this conversation with Evelyn Rack inspires you, Filmmaker U offers filmmaking classes covering editing fundamentals, narrative pacing, and emotional storytelling through post‑production craft. 

From foundational editing workflows to advanced storytelling strategies, Filmmaker U’s courses teach you how to turn raw footage into a meaningful cinematic experience — just as editors like Rack do on films showcased at top festivals.

Because, as this interview shows, editing is not just cutting — it’s emotional architecture.