In lieu of heading to Toronto for TIFF as in pre-Covid time, I stay put in my city hoping some of my anticipated films might trickle down. Of the nine titles on my to-be-watched list, only one came to the Calgary International Film Festival. I’m glad it’s this year’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall.
French director Justine Triet is the third woman to have won the Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival’s top prize in sixty-eight years. The two previous winners were Julia Ducournau for Titane in 2021 and Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993. It’s interesting to note that Triet co-writes the screenplay with her husband Arthur Harari, encompassing English, French and a little German in the dialogues, showing how language can connect as well as alienate a couple depending upon the circumstance.
A teacher and struggling writer, Samuel (Samuel Theis) is found dead on the snow-covered ground of his chalet in the French Alp. The only other person in the house at that time is his wife Sandra (Sandra Hüller), a successful German novelist who has just finished an interview with a journalist in the living room, and loud music is on all this time from somewhere else in the house. The body is discovered by their eleven year-old son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), who comes home after walking their family dog Snoop. Actually, it’s Snoop that first finds the body as Daniel is visually impaired.
Two possibilities are pondered in the investigation of the fall, suicide or murder, Samuel being pushed out of the balcony outside the high attic. The main segment of the film is the trial a year later of Sandra, the wife, who stands accused of murdering her husband, with their blind son the sole witness in the courtroom drama. Sandra seeks the help of an old friend Vincent (Swann Arlaud) to be her attorney. Vincent isn’t a high profile lawyer, but he’s empathetic and rational in his reasoning. Since accidental death is the least plausible in this case, the only option to defend his client is to present evidence for suicide. Sandra might look stoic and aloof but Vincent’s support is essential during such a difficult time.
Intense and riveting throughout, Anatomy of a fall brings back the joy of pure cinema experience, that is, watching a film that’s made up of a well-crafted script delivered by superb acting, captured in astute camera work, especially with close-ups depicting the nuances of emotions, with no CGI effects, no car chases or apocalyptic explosions, just mere human interactions that speak volumes. And with that note, I must add too that sound or its absence is important in the film. From the loud music of a song by 50 Cent at the beginning to the piano pieces played by Daniel, extension of his inner struggles, all are crucial in the storytelling.
When a wife is on trial for the murder of her husband, every minute detail of their marital relationship will be dissected, dirty laundries aired out and conversations scrutinized without discretion. Out of consideration for not hurting Daniel’s feelings, he is excused on the day some raw evidence from a recording of a fight between his parents is to be played out in court, but he insists to be there. ‘I’ve already been hurt,’ he says.
And it is this voice recording––juxtaposed with flashback sequences for us viewers––that form the pivotal segment of the film, a highly charged, epitome of powerful acting especially from Hüller. It is also this raging recording that casts a doubt in Daniel’s mind regarding his mother, and a little clarity in understanding the balance of relational power between his parents. The flashback scene is for us viewers; in court, only the voices are heard. For Daniel, that is enough. What follows is the key to the the ingenuity of the script, leading to the eventual outcome of the trial.
Not only is her marriage on trial, Sandra’s own personal, psychological makeup is questioned. The prosecutor (Antoine Reinartz) uses anything he can find to create an image of Sandra being a cold and revengeful wife. The content of her novels are examined and taken as a revealing of her psyche. Herein lies an intriguing issue: can a work of fiction be used as evidence to incriminate its author in a court of law? For the prosecutor, to help his case, it’s convenient to equate Sandra’s novels as parallels of her real life. Defence lawyer Vincent is quick to rebut this reasoning, “is Stephen King a serial killer?”
The two and a half hour duration could have been tightened a bit, but sitting through it in the dark theatre with my sole attention drawn to the nuanced performance by the whole cast and in high anticipation of the trial result, I wasn’t aware of the time passing. Just found out France has submitted another film to enter the Best International Film category for 2024 Oscars, rendering Anatomy of a Fall out of the race in that category. Nevertheless, Hüller is worthy of a Best Actress Oscar nom, Machado Graner playing Daniel deserves some high praises, and Triet’s directing and her original screenplay need to be noted, the film could have a chance in the Best Picture category. Overall, a captivating work of suspense, character study, and intelligent filmmaking.
~ ~ ~ 1/2 Ripples
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Ripple Effects 