Anatomy of a Fall

<b>INT. THE ANATOMY OF ANATOMY OF A FALL - DAY</b> <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i> is an excellent film crafted from the mind of Justine Triet. It's beautifully acted, shot, scored and edited together. So let's look at the Anatomy of <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i>. Story: The story revolves around the unconfirmed cause of death of <i>Samuel</i>, who has fallen out of his attic window. The only person in the house was his wife <i>Sandra</i>, <b>Sandra Hüller</b>, the prime suspect. Their son <i>Daniel</i>, blind from an unfortunate event, is the only witness. The story is from the perspective of <i>Sandra</i>, and just like any courtroom drama, details are revealed over time. Fortunately, it's at a steady pace, never announcing too much or too little, giving us the correct information at the right time. While I'm mostly positive about the story, some moments slow right down, and we come to a standstill; overall, thanks to the following few components, they considerably make up for the story's flaws. Performance: Its lead is <i>Anatomy of a Fall's</i> greatest asset, <b>Sandra Hüller</b>. She is tremendous, pulling no punches in the role of Sandra, the deceased's wife. For the rest of the cast, no one except the dog is ever greater than Sandra! Cinematography: The camera in this film is on a swivel, always moving, keeping us engaged. The camera uses Visual humour quite a bit, which is always great to see. Finally, the colour grade felt natural and, at times, warm, giving a homely vibe. Score: A simple piano piece plays throughout the film; it is excellent. Finally, the editing: This was a stand-out for me. It was cleverly cutting at points to hide us from the horrors but holding onto moments before it became too much. There's a lot of love about this film — a highlight of the Cannes 2023 run. <b>FADE OUT.</b>

When young "Daniel" (Milo Machado Graner) returns from a walk in the snow with his dog ("Snoop") he discovers the body of his father lying on the snow in front of their alpine house. He shouts for his mother, writer "Sandra" (Sandra Hüller) and soon the police investigation is out to establish just what happened. What do we know? Well, not a lot really - just that before the young man left for his stroll, his mother was giving an interview in their kitchen to a journalist that was being increasingly drowned out by the intrusive music emanating from her husband upstairs, and - that young "Daniel" is blind. "Sandra" enlists the help of a friend who represents her as after many a re-enactment the authorities conclude that there is enough evidence that she lobbed him over the balcony and murdered him. A curiously relaxed courtroom drama now ensues. Those of us used to watching British or American scenarios like this might find the approach, usually entirely speculative, taken by prosecuting counsel to essentially draw his own conclusion from evidence that may or not be there is quite entertaining to watch. The President of the tribunal rarely intercedes in what becomes a frequently unsubstantiated analysis of the sometimes turbulent marriage of the two, we learn of the cause of the boy's blindness, of his mother's sexuality and by the denouement I felt that Justine Triet had worked well with a strong cast to create a whodunit where there might have been no crime at all! That denouement is a little rushed, but leaves a lovely degree of doubt in the mind of the one member of the cast who probably needed convincing the most! It's just a shade too long, a wee bit too much build up, but once it's in full swing this is a strongly performed, sometimes quite funny and dark crime drama that is well worth a watch.