Anatomy of a Fall
Anatomy of a Fall
Starring Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz
Directed by Justine Trient
Successful writer Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) lives in an isolated cabin in the mountains with her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and young son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) who suffered an accident years earlier that rendered him almost completely blind. The marriage is all but dissolved as Samuel blares loud music to disrupt a woman interviewing Sandra, and then Daniel takes his dog out for a walk. When he comes back he finds his father dead in the snow, apparently having fallen from the attic window. Soon after Sandra is considered a suspect as the death has some inconsistencies that the coroner discovers, leading her to hire lawyer Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud). The trial commences one year later, and through a series of secrets that boil to the surface, it looks like the idyllic life Sandra painted wasn't all roses, and it's possible that Samuel's death wasn't accidental or suicidal - but murder.
The Good:
Director Justine Trient doesn't treat "Anatomy of a Fall" with melodramatic moments that makes the concept a caricature of itself, but rather treats it with the careful respect it deserves. This isn't a quick film, running a little over two and a half hours, but it never feels like it slogs about. It's a twisted, puzzling mystery that will keep you guessing and deciphering the hidden meanings behind the words being spoken and the facial expressions being made, each one a layered story all its own.
The film's depth relies on Sandra Huller, and she is more than capable for the job. She plays Sandra with this mixture of mystery and layered meanings, appearing as a mild-mannered housewife but also her own independent woman who doesn't take her husband's abuses lying down. In one particular scene we witness a fight between the two of them which highlights Huller's performance and what easily will nab her an Oscar nomination in and of itself, not to mention her tedious work throughout the remainder of the film. Huller portrays Sandra as a wholly lived-in character that keeps her cards close to her vest and ground her performance in realism that never feels forced. You see a woman falling apart at the seams but also someone who tries to hold it all together because she knows her life is at stake. The stakes are real and Huller more than epitomizes that feeling.
More than just a fall from an attic, "Anatomy of a Fall" also looks at the fall of a marriage, as we see Sandra and Samuel's tumultuous relationship right from the start. We witness through the trial that this isn't just the beginning, but the ending of the marriage, as years of mistrust, betrayal, jealousy and resentment have all but dissolved any sense of love between the two, leading you to suspect more and more that Sandra might actually be guilty. Yet it also in a sense is what could lead to her innocence, as the marriage began dissolving years earlier and she could've done it so much longer ago, where now they're basically just roommates living in the same house.
The courtroom drama is intriguing all its own, as witnesses and experts who don't know Sandra and Samuel try to tell their most personal stories, which is something that happens in murder cases in general. Yet there's a hollowness to it because they don't know them like they do, and while the evidence mounts it also becomes more inconsequential as rebuttals all but reverse the negatives brought against Sandra. Still the story runs deeper and ebbs and flows in ways that's impossible to predict, leading to a constant state of suspense as each day passes.
The cinematography is also ravishing, with the setting this picturesque location that masks the horror and the despair that takes place there. The cabin is sprawling and beautiful, and the mountains lie in the background like wonderful set pieces that give off a false sense of security - not to mention most of the film takes place in the sunny daylight which is all the more off-putting considering what happened there.
The Bad:
This is a movie you need to be in the mood to see, because at two and a half hours it's not a quick watch. But if you're in the mood for an excellent procedural drama, this is the film for you.
The Summary:
Offering a new look at a courtroom drama, "Anatomy of a Fall" goes far beyond generic melodramatic moments but grounds itself in a sense of gritty realism brought to life by the fantastic Sandra Huller.
The Score: A+
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