Anatomy of a Fall, the latest film by French filmmaker Justine Triet, is screening at the Paradise Cinemas on Thursday Dec. 14. It won the top prize, the Palme d’Or, at the Cannes Film Festival this year (Triet is the third woman to have won), and it’s been generating a tremendous amount of buzz ever since.
The premise is simple: Sandra, an ambitious, self-assured, commercially successful novelist finds herself the prime suspect in the murder investigation into the death of her husband, Samuel, after he is found dead on the snow outside their remote chalet in the French alps. Did he jump, did he fall, or was he pushed – there are only three possibilities here – but don’t be deceived by the simplicity of the plot. Anatomy of a Fall is a cliche and genre breaking movie whose intricate layering, perceptiveness and precise execution will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s not about a death per se, but the death of a relationship, and its interrogation afterward, where not only Sandra’s supposed actions are on trial, but also her personality.
We learn that the previous year Sandra and Samuel (who happens to be a far less successful author) along with their young son Daniel, have recently moved from London to France, Samuel’s home country. Samuel is in the midst of renovating their home for AIRBNB. When the film begins, Sandra is being interviewed by an admiring graduate student, and is relishing the opportunity to banter and even flirt with her interviewer. Suddenly music starts blaring so loudly that the interview must be abandoned. We learn that noise was coming from the attic, where Samuel was working on renovations and perhaps trying to sabotage Sandra’s interview in a fit of jealousy. The interview is abandoned, the interviewer leaves, Sandra retires for a nap, and Daniel, who has a visual impairment, leaves with his service dog Snoop for a walk. An hour later, Samuel is found dead.
Soon thereafter Sandra is identified as the lead suspect. She hires an old friend as her lawyer, played brilliantly by Swann Arlaud. (Read more reviews if you need to, but we propose that the less you know going into this film, the better). The script, which Triet co-wrote with her fellow film-maker husband Arthur Harari, masterfully intertwines elements of mystery, courtroom suspense, and domestic drama. It’s riveting from start to finish and features a stunning and career defining performance by Sandra Hüller – yes, she’s that good. Typically, you get to know a character better as a film progresses, and by the end you may have even figured them out, but the reverse is true in Anatomy of a Fall. Sandra’s character is baffling, shifting and complex. Under interrogation, she does not break down, as we might expect. She is at time bristling and cold, and at times loving, and we do not know what to make of her. Is she manipulative, or are we imposing our own expectations of what a dutiful mother and wife should be?
The beauty of this film is that Triet positions you as Sandra’s juror, and nothing is certain. There is no easy answer and we have no easy gauge on Sandra. As new information comes in, we cannot decide if we believe her, and we come to witness how our own personal projections and biases are influencing our feelings toward her. Time and time again, we must question our own assumptions and judgements. And, what emerges in the second half of the movie is actually the story of the son, Daniel. This is truly brilliant and innovative filmmaking and the best place to see it is in a theatre with your friends in tow – chances are you will be discussing this film well into the new year.
Anatomy of a Fall is rated PG. Tickets are $10. Advance tickets for sale at the Open Book and tickets will be sold in the cinema lobby prior to the screening. Doors open at 6:30pm, and the show starts at 7:00pm.
Electric, thrilling, stunning, austere, fascinating, mesmerising, enthralling, compulsively watchable, elegant, magnificent, absorbingly intricate, provocative, scintillating, simmering tension, vivid, deeply intelligent, compelling, invigoratingly cerebral, clever, ingenious, original, innovative, unique, unprecedented
Gorgeous
Sandra Hüller
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