Synopsis: A woman is suspected of her husband’s murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
Reviewed by: Jarrett Yang
The coveted Palme d’Or honor stayed in France at the Cannes Film Festival 2023. Co-writer and director Justine Triet’s latest work, Anatomy of a Fall, took home the big prize earlier in May, on top of a special award, Palm Dog, for the dog in the film – Snoop, played by Messi the 7-year-old celebrity Border Collie.
Anatomy of a Fall premiered in Singapore at the French Film Festival (FFF) 2023 held in November and later went on to screen commercially exclusively at The Projector. Its initial premiere screenings at the FFF, where I first caught the film, all met with sold-out audiences. Does the film live up to the hype? Yes, but not without its imperfections.
For a genre like courtroom drama, films typically struggle to capture audiences in Singapore, but Anatomy of a Fall proves itself to defy this trend. And rightfully, the film stands tall on a few merits from acting to screenplay and directing, even editing for a pocket of cinephiles and industry professionals.
Sandra Hüller is the centre of the film and holds the film together. While Triet (and her partner-and-co-writer Arthur Harari) penned a complicated and nuanced character, and she directed Hüller superbly as one would imagine, Sandra the actress (because the character’s first name is also Sandra) just commands the screen through and through. A character with quite basically the whole range of human emotions displayed on screen, Sandra was embodied by Hüller convincingly and truly deserves the praises and attention both the film and the actress have enjoyed.
Film still of Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall. Credit: NEON
However, cliché as it may be, a strong and compelling lead ought to be supported by an equally competent supporting cast and Hüller had just that. Without these three gentlemen – Swann Arlaud (as Sandra’s defense lawyer), Antoine Reinartz (who fiercely brought to life the prosecuting attorney) and Samuel Theis (Sandra’s deceased husband at the heart of the mystery) – much of the film wouldn’t have worked. That said, the one character and performance that really both brought out Hüller’s best and stole the show at the same time, was Daniel, the visually impaired son of Sandra and Samuel, played by the incredible Milo Machado Graner.
Film still of Milo Machado Graner in Anatomy of a Fall. Credit: NEON
Without revealing important plot points, Machado Graner stood out in the latter half of the film and absolutely left me gobsmacked in the last act. His character, Daniel, is so multi-layered, complex and even haunting that it’s hard to imagine having a 13-year-old performer deliver it. One specific scene in the last act of the film, well two actually, broke my heart and for a few moments I forgot about Hüller’s character, which given the intensity and impression of her role in the film, speaks volumes about the young teenager’s riveting turn.
Ironically, one of Anatomy of a Fall‘s strengths could also be a weakness itself – the script. Triet and Harari created a captivating and intense courtroom drama that had my eyes glued to the screen, but as a result, a few other scenes throughout the film were on the edge of sending viewers into daydream mode, not to mention the way the film ended could have been more polished and refined. Overall, however, the screenplay remains a plus for the film than it is a minus.
While Sandra and Samuel (the characters) were writers and perhaps less relatable to most viewers because they aren’t typical urban adults who work 9-to-5 jobs, it is nonetheless commendable that a failing marriage, especially one where not necessarily the husband/father bears more responsibility, is being portrayed on film. Moreover, this family’s relationship is also explored through the child’s attempt to reconcile with his parents, adding nuances to the narrative as a whole, instead of only exploiting the trial which forms the bulk of the film’s runtime. Beyond the entertaining (subjective as it is) courtroom scenes, the developments and dynamics of a nuclear family falling apart and how it recovers, no matter the difficulty, should be what more audiences think about as they leave the cinema.
Anatomy of a Fall earns 4 stars on my Letterboxd.
Jarrett is a devoted cinephile for over half of his life. Apart from movies, coffee keeps him awake and music keeps him alive. Having studied theatre and performed as an actor before, he’s also a sucker for great performances.
Follow Jarrett on Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/2JImT
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This review is also published on Singapore Film Society as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme.
