The Reel Review
A mother’s relationship with her young, visually-impaired son is tested when she is tried for the murder of her husband following his suspicious death, a fall (or perhaps a jump or a push) from the third floor of their chalet in the French Alps. Sandra Hüller stars in this French courtroom drama.
Hüller gives a haunting, lived-in performance, as does an incredible Milo Machado Graner as Sandra’s young son, uncertain whether to risk his own future by doubting his mother’s innocence. Director Justine Triet, working from a taut screenplay she wrote with her partner Arthur Harari, deftly captures the subjective scrutiny individuals face and the degree to which lives are upended when an unexpected death occurs. Swann Arlaud is Sandra’s friend and lawyer, with French singer/songwriter Jehnny Beth as a woman appointed by the court to make sure Sandra doesn’t tamper with her son’s testimony as a witness.
At times the courtroom drama from writer/director Justine Triet feels a bit dry and self indulgent, but Hüller’s performance, as the unhappy wife who finds her entire life on trial, makes Anatomy of a Fall a riveting, very realistic watch.
REEL FACTS
• Anatomy of a Fall won the top prize, the Palme d’Or, at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Justine Trier is the third female director to win, after Jane Campion for 1993’s The Piano and Julia Ducournau for 2021’s Titane.
• Sandra Hüller starred in Justin Triet’s last film, the 2019 dramedy/thriller Sibyl.
• Most of Anatomy of a Fall was filmed in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
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