ANATOMIE D'UNE CHUTE (ANATOMY OF A FALL)
2023 | Dir. Justine Triet | 152 Minutes
"When we've looked everywhere and still don't understand how the thing happened, I think we have to ask why it happened."
A difficult court trial unfolds after a man plummets to his death under questionable circumstances in southeastern France. Suspected of murdering her husband, a German novelist struggles to plead her case to the French court as well as her grieving son.
Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall is an intense courtroom drama that engages its audience by meticulously providing the facts behind the death of an unhappy husband while gradually building an emotionally challenging narrative surrounding the deterioration of a marriage. As the trial continues, it becomes clear that not only is the wife on trial but her relationship with the deceased is subject to judgment as well. The narrative conceit that the key witness for both the trial and the breakdown of a marriage is a visually-impaired child is nothing short of ingenious, as justice in this case is literally blind but with intimate knowledge of the dynamic within the troubled household. By design, Triet offers no definitive answer as to whether the husband died by murder or suicide, but instead appeals to the audience to look past the inconclusive facts and discover their own emotional truth.
Masterfully written, language plays a key part in Anatomy of a Fall, leaning heavily into the film's themes surrounding communication. The narrative draws attention to the German wife and French husband's decision to speak English as a compromise in their relationship, a compromise that has failed spectacularly as illustrated in the sequence playing back a secretly recorded contentious exchange turned violent between husband and wife. This failure to communicate is symbolic of their marriage and presents itself as a major conflict for her in the French-speaking courtroom. By its final act, the picture also heavily implies the husband's failure to communicate his festering depression, as their son is tasked to draw a heartbreaking conclusion based on a cryptic conversation they once shared.
In the complex lead role, Sandra Hüller is spectacular, absolutely sympathetic through and through despite lingering doubts regarding her character's innocence. Young actor Milo Machado Graner gives an emotionally resonant stand-out performance as the legally blind son Daniel, an incredibly tough role to play. Also standing out is the Border Collie Messi who played Daniel's guide dog Snoop, delivering perhaps one of the most affecting film performances ever from a canine actor.
Anatomy of a Fall is as much about the communication breakdown between two spouses as it is about the inherent difficulty in communication between a German murder suspect and the French justice system. Driven by a brilliant screenplay and powerful performances, the picture presents the ending of a relationship put on public display in unsettling invasive detail. It's a feature that demands audience engagement, refusing to provide easy conclusions.
FRAGMENTS
- Sandra Hüller also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee The Zone of Interest
- Antoine Reinartz who plays the prosecutor bears a striking resemblance to beloved American comedian Paul Scheer
- Anatomy of a Fall won the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and Snoop actor Messi most deservedly won the Palm Dog Award
- It is patently ridiculous that France submitted La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Taste of Things) instead of this film as their entry for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
