Movie Review: In ‘Anatomy Of A Fall, A Sharp Courtroom Drama That Will End Relationships
Of all the ways to end a relationship, a major disagreement over a piece of art is, in some ways, the dumbest. However, a movie or book that explores the irreparable decline of love, which may be incompatible, symbiotic, or not as supportive as it seems, is good for two reasons. Maybe in the end it will also give an interesting story.
Another, more painful way to end a relationship is for one party to fall off a roof and die, followed by a humiliating public trial to determine the guilt or innocence of the other party, as in Justin Trier's Palme d'Or. Or the winner of "Fall Anatomy". Like The Fix before it, Anatomy of the Fall could be the new litmus test for modern relationships. Pursue a romantic partner at your own risk. But, in my opinion, this is one of the arguments that it provokes.
German actress and writer Sandra Hühler, known for "Toni Erdmann" and the upcoming film "Zone of Interests," lives in a house in the French Alps with her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and 11-year-old son Daniel. (Milo Machado Greiner). Trieu puts the audience in a tense and stressful environment, introducing us to Sandra in the middle of an interview with a woman who will later become important: a graduate student. Sandra is a little stubborn and asks the interviewer questions while drinking a glass of red wine. It's hard to pay attention to what they're saying as the instrumental version of 50 Cent's "PIMP" blasts through the house in a deafening, continuous, raging wave. Probably Samuel's choice.
The student leaves, Sandra relaxes on the balcony, 50 Cent continues to play with the red cup in hand, and Daniel, who is blind, walks his dog. He returns to find his father outside on the ground, dead and bloody. Sandra's lawyer, Vincent (Swan Arlaud, a quiet presence), later analyzes the trajectory of the fall and discovers that the cause of death is "undiagnosed."
"Wait," says Sandra. "I didn't kill him."
"That's not the point," Vincent replies.
It's a brief exchange that concludes the 150-minute film, which is an elegantly constructed and thoroughly engaging film, courtroom thriller, marital drama and satire here and there. It is not actually a tear, but an inner collapse of life after a tragedy or murder. In any case, Samuel's cunning and ruthless lawyer (Antoine Reinerts) wants to explain Sandra's family problems and why he thinks she is a possible suspect. He is also accused of doing it for the material of his book.
Hüller keeps the audience on his side by playing the polite game of knowing when to offend and when to hold back (without necessarily sounding "offensive"), and he does it all in the character's two languages (French and English). It's grueling, enlightening, and a stark reminder of the internalized misogyny that still exists and thrives even in marriages that seem formed and equal on paper. But it's hard to fight when teams can hide their flaws behind psychotherapy.
For Daniel, the trial and what he's involved in is like a hellish divorce process in which his parents' characters are torn apart and destroyed. Their fights, betrayals, insecurities, different assumptions of the prosecutors, therapists and judges about the personal affairs of the spouses show that their consequences are too much for a child burdened by the loss of a parent. and the possible arrest of others.
And, of course, Samuel cannot speak for himself, at least not. Your therapist has some ideas and assumptions, a brutal argument that we all know because her lawyer secretly recorded it to inspire her many thoughts and writings. For some listeners, this may be the biggest and most serious injustice, shrouding everything in an uncertainty that will never be resolved. At some point, you might even forget you're watching a criminal trial.
Anatomy of a Fall may not be a film with many definitive answers at the end, but the truths it reveals are undeniable.
The neon movie "Anatomy of Falling," which opened in theaters Friday, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for "sexual references, violent imagery and some language." Duration: 150 minutes. Four out of four stars.
