Anatomy of a Fall is a French film directed and co-written by Justine Triet. It starts off by giving you the impression this is a by the book murder mystery but by the end you’ll be so overwhelmed by emotions and captivating performances that “What happened?” will be one of the last things you’ll be thinking about.
I don’t like to give too many details about movies in my reviews because I want you to have as pure of an experience as possible, so rest assured that this review will remain spoiler free. All I knew going in was that this was a movie about two parents and their son and one day the husband is found dead by their son (who is blind) and his dog Snoop. Was it murder or suicide? Or is that even the most important question? Sandra becomes the suspect in what the police believed to be a suspicious death. What follows though is so much more than a murder mystery or a courtroom drama. This is a captivating film that goes beyond its premise to dig into the complicated nature of relationships, truth, and so much more.
Oh and if Messi (the dog who plays Snoop) isn’t nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, I will riot.
My Thoughts
It only feels right to start by mentioning the actors. Interestingly enough, Messi was given top billing in the credits and definitely deserved it! I’m a dog dad myself and one scene in particular had me welling up with emotion. Dog’s truly are remarkable animals. Anyway, I loved Messi as Snoop in this movie, but the humans in this movie were all spectacular across the board. Sandra Hüller stars as Sandra and Samuel Theis plays her husband, also named Samuel. Their son Daniel was played by Milo Machado-Graner who is absolutely stunning, particularly towards the end of the movie. All three actors ground their characters so remarkably and the movie spends a lot of time in intense moments and doesn’t shy away from the strong emotions they elicit. There’s a scene in particular where we see Sandra and Samuel fighting and it was absolutely captivating.
This actually flows well to the next topic which is the writing. The movie was written by director Justine Triet and her partner Arthur Harari and they do a spectacular job here. Every moment, especially the big scenes, are so well written and acted that you almost want to turn away, as if you actually walked into the room to see Sandra and Samuel having a real fight. What I loved about the script most though is how realistically messy the relationships are. If you tell your partner one thing and your doctor another, who did you tell the truth to? Do your friends have certain exaggerated perceptions of your partner because of what you tell them? Do we exaggerate our feelings or conflicts when we’re fighting? What might an outsider think if they heard our fight and tried to judge our whole relationship off of that? Most movies would lead you to a certain conclusion where one character is clearly right while the other is clearly wrong but here you bounce back and forth between them, sympathizing with each of them for different points and agreeing with both of them at times too. Rarely is it so black and white in real life and this movie captures that feeling perfectly.
Another brilliant aspect of the movie is what it shows you and when. We don’t know what happened to Samuel when Daniel and Snoop found his body. As the movie progresses, we’re almost another one of the jurors watching as the trial unfolds. We’re shown conflicting versions of what may or may not have happened as different experts and witnesses give their testimony in the trial.
The movie is just over two and a half hours, and for the most part it is paced fairly well. Just when you may start getting a little restless, the movie yanks you back in with some amazing work in the final stretches. The movie perfectly sets up these strong emotional moments and payoffs for the different characters. One scene in particular has Daniel recounting a story of him and his father that absolutely shattered me. Definitely give this movie your attention and you’ll be richly rewarded.
Verdict
This is one of those movies that will stick with you long after you watch it. While it provides you with some answers, it leaves you with so much more to ponder. Definitely check this one out if you haven’t already. You won’t regret it!
Adriana Wiszniewska
Comments are closed.