Film Review: ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023): Sandra Hüller’s Fierce Performance Creates Complexity in a Probing Thriller

Anatomy of a Fall Review

Anatomy of a Fall (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Justine Triet, written by Arthur Harari and Justine Triet and starring Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz, Samuel Theis, Jehnny Beth, Saadia Bentaieb, Camille Rutherford and Ilies Kadri.

Writers can be very impulsive people and Anatomy of a Fall, the new film directed by Justine Triet, plays with that idea in its exploration of an explosive marriage coming under a very telling microscope in court after the mysterious death of a woman’s husband. This movie is carried by a towering performance by Sandra Hüller who could unfairly get overlooked for an Oscar nomination because of the new picture’s ambiguities which can sometimes frustrate viewers just as much as entice them. Triet’s movie offers viewers a fascinating story here, but Triet pulls the rug out from underneath it by several of the twists and turns the plot ultimately takes.

Hüller plays a successful German writer named Sandra Voyter who is married to a less successful man of similar ambitions named Samuel (a terrific Samuel Theis). Sandra is being questioned by a graduate student named Zoe (Camille Rutherford) as her husband is seemingly purposely putting restrictions on their conversation by playing loud, pulsating 50 Cent music up above them. The married pair have a nearly blind young son named Daniel (a well-cast Milo Machado Graner). His dog (named Snoop) becomes a key player in the movie as well at a pivotal point late in the movie.

When Daniel returns from a walk with Snoop, Samuel is found in the snow dead due to a severe head injury. The pulsating music continues as the soundtrack to a tragedy. There is overwhelming suspicion that the culprit behind Samuel’s death could be Sandra who has had some difficulties with her husband which could have led her to murdering him. However, if it were that simple, the movie would have been 20 minutes long.

Sandra, it turns out, is a very passionate woman who would cheat on her husband when given the chance. Sandra is also successful in her chosen field of specialization whereas her husband was a bit less prosperous in his attempts at forging a promising career for himself. In a revealing moment in the film which is shown in flashback, we see an argument that the couple had which could have led Sandra to commit murder.

Anatomy of a Fall is mainly a courtroom drama and the sequences in court are some of the most intriguing legal scenes to be found in recent movies of this nature. Perhaps, the most interesting part of the movie is Daniel’s doubts and fears regarding his mother’s guilt in the murder of the father. These scenes hit hard and Graner is outstanding in a role that must have been challenging beyond a reasonable doubt. Graner has some difficult scenes towards the end and he handles them with terrific sensitivity which makes the movie one full of thought-provoking substance. The search for the truth seems to be one filled with great mystery as the plot progresses.

Just because Sandra believes she is innocent of murder doesn’t mean others will perceive things the same way. Sandra’s relationship with her husband was damaged and had much aggression found within it. Sandra found much inspiration for her writing in her real life and is a woman who seems to have many varied personalities within her. It’s hard to decipher who she really is as a person, but Hüller becomes this character in such a way that the audience can sort of find a way to root for her.

Swann Arlaud plays one of the movie’s most pivotal roles as Vincent. He is a friend who Sandra wants to defend her in the courtroom. Arlaud’s nuanced performance stands out significantly as the actor immerses himself in a well-conceived role within the picture. Alongside the advocate general (a fine Antoine Reinartz), both these actors chew scenery here, bringing to life a vivid representation of the possibilities regarding what happened regarding Samuel.

It seems for much of the film that the only way for Sandra to go free is to prove that Samuel committed suicide. But, as Hüller digs deep into her multi-faceted character, the script only has so much depth to back up the stupendous acting. While the audience can be grateful the film goes on for a long time (about two and a half hours), the resolution could seem a bit anti-climatic in certain respects while still fully satisfying the logistics of the script. This film could have gone on another ten minutes without complaints to tighten up some of the loose ends but that’s not necessarily what the director, Triet, wanted.

Another notable performance is that of Jehnny Beth who adds great sophistication to the part of Marge Berger who is assigned to watch over Daniel as the events of the picture progress. It is the courtroom scenes, however, that shape the story line and give it a fierce unpredictable edge that ultimately drives the film home as an ambitious and hugely successful project.

Anatomy of a Fall has many layers to it but, in the end, it chooses to let the audience use the evidence the movie provides to formulate theories about what really happened. Marriage is not always pretty. Audiences probably know that much but what Triet does magnificently is examine how a marriage can become so edgy between the partners involved. Hüller’s work here will constantly have viewers analyzing her motives and the true nature of what she has done (or hasn’t done). Academy Award voters may debate whether or not to give her an Oscar nod because of the inconclusive nature of the film but given the potency of her work, a nomination is possible.

Rating: 8/10

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