Review: Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Review: Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
The ugly potential of grudges, envy, rejection and resentment are heightened - anything and everything becomes a motive
Anatomy of a Fall Official Trailer | Dir. Justine Triet
When the equilibrium in a relationship is rocked, so then are blocks that built it: trust, respect, admiration, adoration, and sometimes even love. In an ideal world, these blocks will realign, and with time, people find a new balance after overcoming whatever issues caused the wobble in the first place. But what happens when, in the middle of a state of flux, one of those people dies under suspicious circumstances?
In Anatomy of a Fall, Samuel falls to his death from the top floor of a secluded mountain chalet and is found by his partially-sighted son, Daniel. After an analysis of the fall concludes that the cause of death is ‘inconclusive’, the period following the tragedy puts Samuel and his wife Sandra’s entire marriage on trial to determine whether he died by suicide or was killed.
From the very first scene when Sandra welcomes a student to their home to interview her about her writing, we know that the relationship is ‘atypical’ because the husband is out of view, blasting a steel drum version of 50 Cent’s ‘PIMP’. It never feels like a home held together with marital harmony, but Sandra also doesn’t initially seem anywhere near rattled enough to carry out the supposed deed.
The screenplay, written by director Justine Triet along with Arthur Harari, is fiendishly good at interrogating the couple’s history, their dynamic, and then pinpointing tensions in the relationship that would otherwise have been buried with time. Instead, through a court case which picks apart Sandra’s entire identity - at times, far beyond what seems relevant to the incident - it builds on our scepticism and plays on the possibility that maybe she was so unhappy in the marriage that she could murder him.
It’s an introspective, dialogue-heavy script that has us looking at the cumulative effect of intimate behaviours, loaded words and what we may tolerate in relationships just to keep the peace. Those idiosyncrasies that couples develop to deal with minor niggles and problems bubbling below the surface are never intended to be heard by a courtroom, and certainly sound bad when aired in the context of an intense cross-examination in this case. The ugly potential of grudges, envy, rejection and resentment are heightened - anything and everything becomes a motive (Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story come to mind as many of the causes of unhappiness come to light). Just like the name of the their chalet, ‘Les Crevasses’, it’s apparent that their relationship had an abundance of cracks, but upon investigation it’s more like a gorge that is impossibly difficult to get out of.
On a parallel with son Daniel (played incredibly by Milo Machado Graner), the screenplay targets our different senses and mounts to the optimal point of tension before landing at a place of certainty. The music (often a part of the diegesis) is integral to shaping the tone of each scene, and it wavers intensely in both pitch and volume; exterior shots of the French Alps are dazzlingly bright because of the contrast of the snow on the mountains with the human subjects, while interior shots are busy with the clutter and minutia of family life, making the chalet feel all the more cramped and tense.
What makes the film all the more enthralling is Sandra Hüller’s performance as Sandra Voyter, which is nothing short of an acting masterclass. She embodies a character whose past experiences and feelings are so complex that their entanglement in this present tragedy is written all over her face and body as she tries to justify an incredibly difficult period in her life, all while maintaining a heartfelt innocence. Just like the jury in the film need to decide, you may side with her and become transfixed by her candid recall of past events and the sincerity with which she speaks, or you may be swayed by the compelling arguments of the prosecution and surmise that there are simply too many contributing factors for you to be able to believe that she is innocent.
Whichever way you end up siding (and you will likely fluctuate between them at least a few times), it is a thrilling film which moves at a good pace thanks to the use of flashback scenes and non-chronological details. Not only is Sandra Hüller’s central performance a standout and Milo Machado Graner a revelation, but both lawyers, played by Swann Arlaud and Antoine Reinartz, are compelling in how they build opposing narratives and unpick past truths. Justine Triet’s direction is cohesive and assured throughout, which is what makes Anatomy of a Fall the gripping and satisfying thriller that will have audiences thinking about it for days after watching.
Verdict: This Cannes 2023 Palme d'Or winner is an intense and riveting thriller which dissects the internal workings of a dysfunctional couple. Is the promise of love enough to have us believe that a wife wouldn’t literally push her husband over the edge? Justine Triet challenges us to decide.
Overall? ⭐⭐️⭐⭐
Big screen appeal? 🎬🎬🎬🎬
Accolade eligibility? 💡💡💡💡💡
Study-worthy? 📚📚📚📚📚