After winning the 2023 Cannes Film Festival’s most renowned prize, the Palm d’Or, French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall” is now gaining more attention after winning two Golden Globes and receiving five Academy Award nominations. Directed and written by French filmmaker Justine Triet, the film’s stellar performances and gripping mystery make it a must-watch before awards season.
“Anatomy of a Fall” opens in a solitary chalet in the snowy French Alps, where a woman named Sandra (Sandra Hüller) lives with her husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis), their 11-year-old blind son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) and their dog, Snoop. One day, Daniel takes Snoop out for a walk in the woods and comes back to find Samuel’s dead body lying in the snow. When Sandra — who was in the chalet at the time of Samuel’s death — is accused of killing her husband, she is put on trial and must defend her innocence with the guidance of her lawyer, Vincent (Swann Arlaud). The struggles within the courtroom overlap with her issues at home as she struggles to maintain a close relationship with Daniel, who is uncertain if his mother is innocent.
The film’s lengthy runtime at two-and-a-half hours appears daunting, especially because it can be difficult to make a film that long while relying mostly on dialogue and little action. The first 40 minutes do feel rather drawn out, with a focus mostly on the characters preparing for the trial. However, once the trial begins, the film really starts to shine, with the remaining two hours flying by.
If you love watching courtroom movies and television shows, then you will absolutely love “Anatomy of a Fall.” The most meticulous details of Samuel’s death are put on display, some of which suggest Sandra’s guilt, while others support her claim of innocence. Some of the revelations that come out of the trial are shocking, while others make you angry at the invasive nature of the French justice system.
One important theme of the film is how we, as viewers, might define innocence and guilt. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Triet explained how her film acts as a critique of the justice system. She described that “the court as a place where our lives are fictionalized, where a story, a narrative, is put on our life. Everybody there is telling a story, everybody’s creating a narrative and everything is very far from the truth.” The film perfectly encapsulates Triet’s goal, making you question how much Sandra’s accusers are embellishing and/or fabricating her past behavior to make her look worse.
While there are many elements of this film worth praising, especially the cinematography and editing, the performances of the cast are what really make this film work, particularly Hüller’s and Graner’s. Even when you’re unsure of Sandra’s innocence in the courtroom scenes, Hüller’s subtle, yet moving performance makes the audience sympathize with the problems Sandra faced in her marriage. For example, there is a flashback scene that consists of a fight between Sandra and Samuel in which Sandra emphasizes her dissatisfaction in her marriage. You can feel her frustration as he refuses to listen to her, which makes the courtroom scenes all the more heartbreaking to watch.
Graner is also fantastic and puts on one of the best child actor performances that I’ve seen. He is great throughout as he portrays the confusion and innocence of a child very well, but he really starts to shine by the film’s third act. There is one scene involving him and Snoop towards the end that had me on the edge of my seat. Without spoilers, I’ll say that Graner deserves all of the praise, and Messi, the dog who played Snoop, deserved his unofficial Palm Dog Award at Cannes.
In an Oscar season full of strong and entertaining Best Picture contenders, “Anatomy of a Fall” should definitely be at the top of your watchlist. While the runtime may appear daunting, it is definitely worth it to watch this intriguing and emotional story that showcases how an accusation can affect a family.
