After its premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Justine Triet’s feature, Anatomy of a Fall, took home the prestigious Palme d’Or and for good reasons. Written by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, the smart and sharp script challenges our perception of the truth while dissecting power dynamics within a failing marriage. Sandra Hüller stars as Sandra Voyter, who is on trial for the suspicious death of her late husband Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis). With superb performances to back an incredible script that bends facts, fiction, and perception, Anatomy of a Fall is one of the best courtroom dramas ever made.
After moving to a remote town in the French alps, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their 11-year-old son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) have been adjusting to their new lives. Sandra and Samuel are both writers, though Sandra has had many more successes that add to the pair’s growing friction. This has caused a rift in their relationship as even a career interview seemingly upsets Mr. Maleski (he continues to play an obnoxiously loud rendition of 50 cent’s hit single P.I.M.P). Once the interview ends, Daniel, who also happens to be blind, ventures off into a nearby wooded area to walk his dog. Upon his return, Daniel discovers the corpse of his father in the snow below their chalet, jump-starting the mystery surrounding his death.
Anatomy of a Fall has become the talk of nearly every festival circuit for its enticing script, exceptional performances, and brilliant framing. From the early investigation to the courtroom showdown, Triet fiercely takes this genre and dismantles it with conviction as she navigates this story of fact versus fiction. It’s difficult to pinpoint the best part of this drama, as nearly every scene is meticulously designed to engage its audience and requires us to think for ourselves. Of course, the trial lawyers present their arguments in typical fashion, but the screenplay is cunning, never leaning toward one definitive answer over the other. The “did she or didn’t she” tension that fills the air at every turning point is masterful and bound to keep you questioning everything from beginning to end.
As the case progresses, the writing creates clever undertones of ambiguity brilliantly placed to entice us into reflecting on the power we hold over others in relationships. This is manifested through flashbacks of Sandra and Samuel’s arguments during which the blame game gets tossed around as quickly as you can imagine. Of course, the screenwriters do a great job of creating sound arguments for both parties to the point where it becomes challenging to pick a side — it’s exactly what makes the film outstanding. While the reenactments play out and more sides of their stories reveal themselves, it’s up to us to choose what information to believe and decipher the elements of manipulation.
There’s not much else that needs to be said about this breathtaking experiment on marriage failure embedded in a murder mystery. The film relinquishes cheesy gimmicks and shock value for important commentary on perception. Yet, it is nearly impossible to rave about the works of Anatomy of a Fall without pinpointing Sandra Hüller’s incomparable performance. It’s easy to direct that praise toward the script, but Hüller is strikingly convincing as she weaves through her character’s trial. It is nearly impossible to determine if Sandra truly killed her husband, and it’s all thanks to Hüller’s intentional decisions that will fill your mind with more questions than answers.
Anatomy of a Fall is as addicting as any true-crime story, and as riveting as some of the best murder mysteries thanks to a team effort in front of and behind the camera. From the opening sequence to the closing interactions among the main characters, Triet takes full advantage of the two and a half hour runtime to explore a range of themes related to marriage failure, power dynamics, and the consequences of truth. Supported by exceptional performances from Hüller and Machado-Graner, this is the kind of feature you don’t want to miss when it hits theaters. And while the truth of this being a case of suicide or homicide never really matters, the journey towards revealing family secrets is phenomenal storytelling at its finest.
This review was published during the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Anatomy of a Fall will be released in limited US theaters on October 13. The film is 250 minutes long.
