LIFF: Anatomy of a Fall Review
Justine Triet’s moody courtroom drama, Anatomy of a Fall, set in the heart of the French Alps runs the risk of being trite. ‘Did she, or did she not, kill her husband?’ Is hardly the most ground-breaking premise. But what lead actress Sandra Hüller achieves in this (the second Triet-Hüller collaboration after 2019’s Sybil), with her nuanced portrayal of successful writer Sandra Voyter, saves the movie from becoming lost in the long line of European psychological thrillers that have come before it.
Anatomy of a Fall opens with student Zoe (Camille Rutherford) interviewing Sandra, an interaction that borders on flirtatious. That is until we hear the deafening tones of “P.I.M.P” by 50 Cent blasting from the attic, which Samuel (Samuel Theis) is renovating. Just an hour later, Samuel’s body lies sprawled on the snow after a fatal fall from the attic window. Their blind son Daniel (played by standout Milo Machado-Graner), returning from a walk with his dog discovers the body.
Was it an accident? Did he jump? Or pushed? An inconclusive autopsy arouses suspicion and upends Sandra’s life.
The movie’s title works on a literal level. We see different model versions of Samuel’s death as the prosecution and defence present their cases. This includes a dummy thrown from the chalet in a borderline comical re-enactment. But it would perhaps be more apt to call it Anatomy of a Marriage. Since at this film’s heart is the fraught, complex, confusing state of Sandra’s relationship with absent Samuel. That is until an eruptive flashback in the third act.
But it would perhaps be more apt to call it Anatomy of a Marriage
Florence Heaton
Until then, we spend two and a half hours standing on a precipice, waiting – wanting, almost – to be pushed off the edge. That moment never comes. The elusive nature of memory bleeds into the plot itself, with an ending that doesn’t quite satisfy. But whilst the final act is frustratingly ambiguous, the rest is enthralling. As Sandra’s lawyer Vincent (Swann Arlaud) says, the point is not whether she actually killed him, but whether they can convince a jury (one we are implicitly a part of) that she didn’t.
The trial serves as an operating table for the dissection of a woman and her most complex, private relationships. Under scrutiny is Sandra’s work, her sexuality, her role as wife and mother. The film works extremely well as an exploration of character with the deeply personal material on display. It also forces you to confront the ethics of literature: how far should you use reality to enhance fiction? (It is no coincidence, surely, that Triet borrows her couple’s names from the actors themselves).
Hüller does a fantastic job of maintaining a cool façade that is as much a product of the character’s German stoicism as it is the result of years of isolation in her husband’s hometown. Cinematographer Simon Beaufils showcases a landscape that is as impenetrable as the protagonist, and sound is played with tantalisingly. Who knew 50 Cent could be described as chilling until this film?
Picking up the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and one of the most anticipated at LIFF, this was a movie that I was dying to see. Surprisingly funny in some places, aggressively sharp in others – with such a strong performance from a dog they have to invent a new category at the Oscars – I recommend this to anyone open to ambiguity.
Anatomy of a Fall is in cinemas from November 10th. Hyde Park Picture House is screening the film from November 17th-23rd. You can read about everything you need to know about LIFF and other reviews including The Sweat East on the Gryphon’s Arts and Culture Page.
