Sandra, Samuel and their visually impaired son Daniel have been living in a remote mountain location for the past year. When Samuel is found dead outside the house, an investigation for death in su...
There is a sophisticated complexity to co-writer and director Justine Triet‘s “Anatomy of a Fall” that makes it one of the more challenging and ambitious films of the year. This is a highly suspenseful murder mystery that isn’t about unraveling the secret of who did it, how, or why, but about the complicated and continuously shifting perceptions the audience has of the accused. It’s a smart, taut drama about family and relationships, with Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari offering up a keen character study in their incredibly nuanced, detailed screenplay.
Sandra (Sandra Hüller) is a successful German novelist who lives in the French Alps with her less-successful writer husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and their visually impaired son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner). She is accused of murdering her husband after Samuel’s body is found outside in the snow, underneath an open third story window. There are no witnesses, as Daniel was out walking the family dog at the time of his father’s death. The police question whether Samuel was murdered or committed suicide but with a need to find someone to blame, Sandra becomes the main suspect. This leads to an investigation not only into the circumstances surrounding the man’s death, but into the deepest corners of the couple’s rocky relationship.
The film has elements of both true crime and courtroom dramas, as there is an investigation into the suspicious, deadly fall as everyone attempts to piece together an accident, a suicide, or a possible crime. When very little concrete evidence is found, members of the legal system begin to examine Samuel and Sandra’s marriage instead. This leads to an invasive public dissection of the couple’s tumultuous relationship, exposing a past history that’s highly emotional for this troubled family.
Smart and riveting, the script creates an ambiguity around the deceased and the accused. It becomes clear that facts don’t matter as much as how people see you and prefer their own version of the truth. Perceptions, distortions, and speculation are all weapons wielded towards Sandra in court as she faces a legal system that creates motives that may or may not have been there. Lawyers, jurors, and even the judge create their own fiction when it comes to Sandra’s guilt or innocence. With a lack of absolute proof, evidence is taken out of context. All of this fosters a great deal of doubt, leaving viewers to scrutinize every detail, every gesture, every memory.
There is a feminist spin to the story that acknowledges the sexist notions present in society, and the courtroom is a misogynistic place where everything that gives Sandra power is turned against her (her education, her career, her lack of natural maternal instincts, her sexuality). It feels like everyone wants her to be guilty, so they are throwing everything at the wall to see if anything will stick. It’s upsetting to watch, and is highly emotionally effective.
While this is a film that focuses on language and nuanced storytelling, Triet masterfully creates an overwhelming feeling of anxiety that reaches almost unbearable levels. The story takes place in just two confined locations: the family’s isolated mountain chalet and a hostile courtroom. Hüller and Graner give outstanding performances that are flush with a disquieting ambiguity that continuously sow the seeds of doubt. The aggressive (and almost combative) use of music amps up the tension even further.
This isn’t a typical whodunit true crime thriller, but a compelling story of a relationship sick with discontent and a fractured family. “Anatomy of a Fall” isn’t a film you simply watch, it’s one you experience.
