Cinematography: 10/10
Costumes: 8.9/10
Sets: 10/10
Acting: 10/10
Special Effects: n/a
Character development: 10/10
“Anatomy of a Fall,” set in an isolated chalet in the French Alps, is a courtroom drama that follows a man’s suspicious death. The film delves into the suspicious details surrounding the death of a writer, whose twisted relationship with his wife and guilt ridden relationship with his visually impaired son all collide. The story unfolds in a series of interrogations and courtroom dramatics that are both difficult to watch and impossible to tear your eyes away from. Written and directed by Justine Triet, and starring Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud and Milo Machado-Graner, it is nominated for five Oscars and has already won two Golden Globes. The film boasts a well-deserved 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was impressive enough to even gain the praise of three of the world’s harshest critics: my mom, dad and sister.
Let’s start at the beginning. The establishing shots of a small, tranquil chalet in the mountains portray their home to be peaceful and serene, when in reality it’s a facade – like most of the film is – hiding a much darker picture and story within. The filmmakers paint a dark picture of the carefully concealed dysfunction of their family. The parents, Sandra and Samuel, have a tumultuous and complicated relationship, and are constantly arguing and blaming each other for the accident that left their son, Daniel, partially blind. Overall, the cinematography was incredible and the style of the film was intriguing. The filmmakers emphasize the power held in close up shots. Having an actor stare directly into the camera is a very bold directorial choice which Triet used in the most intense scenes, allowing the actors to showcase everything their characters felt simply with a look and creating a new dimension of subtext to the audience.
Sandra Hüller deserves every possible award for her acting in this film. She is the embodiment of her character, she is a mother losing touch with her son and she is a woman on trial for murder; she is everything. As the film progresses, we watch a son slowly slip away from his mother, who has already lost everything else in her life, and Hüller portrays this feeling of abandonment incredibly well. Watching her, you feel pity mixed with confusion. Because who is she, really? There is so much left unsaid as you watch and wonder, along with everything else, what is going on.
In addition, the use of sound in “Anatomy of a Fall” is almost as powerful as the cinematography. There is a repeating melody that Daniel plays on the piano which he plays in a different way depending on his emotions at a certain time. When he is alone and angry, for example, he plays aggressively, contrasting the calm and somber sound when he plays with his mom. Before he testifies in trial, he plays very slowly, cautiously. This recurring use of a singular melody is incredibly powerful and is often used in films, such as in “La La Land.” In addition to music, there is a deliberate contrast between the usage of diegetic and nondiegetic sound. The entire trial is held in French, something about it is more aggressive, and sets a much more accusatory and hostile tone for that portion of the film.
Ultimately, I was most interested in Daniel’s character. After an accident, which left him visually impaired, there is a lot of underlying tension and trauma within his family. I wondered to myself whether he ever felt guilty, as he was often the subject of fights between his parents. Was he more affected by losing his dad? Or by the prospect of losing his mom too? The film puts the entire family’s dynamics in the spotlight, especially as they relate to Samuel, and by the end, my perspective had completely shifted from seeing him as Sandra’s husband to seeing him as Daniel’s father. Throughout the trial and interrogations, you can see the mental and emotional toll it all takes on Daniel, and there is a noticeable shift in his relationship with his mom, and his perception of her after having watched her during the trial and heard her testimony.
In addition, the filmmakers made deliberate use of the expansive setting, placing Daniel in wide shots surrounded by mountains and snow to show his isolation, both from the world, from his mom and from the truth. There is so much tension throughout the film, and you find yourself unknowingly picking sides, choosing who and what to believe subconsciously. As it shifted, however, so did my perspective. I found myself questioning everything I had seen as the haze around the case thickened and my confusion amplified. The film leaves you feeling slightly unsettled, and the ending felt incomplete in the best way. The haze lifted but something lingered. When it comes to movies, if you’re left with that feeling it’s a very good sign. I think “Anatomy of a Fall” has a very good chance of winning in every category it’s nominated for. It is one of the most impressive films I have ever seen.
When my parents first saw “Anatomy of a Fall,” they described it blandly as “a french movie about a man’s death and whether or not it was suicide.” I thought that meant an indie, artsy film that probably droned on an hour longer than it should and put you to sleep in your seat. I’m here to tell you, this movie was anything but that. Justine Triet created a masterpiece of a film, one that is interpretive and vague and leaves you with unanswered questions in a very intentional way. You’re left wondering why the film even ends the way it does, why not after the conclusion of the trial? It’s all in the intrigue. Personally, I think Triet was making a point about Sandra’s character with the way she chose to tie the film together. There is something so utterly mysterious about Sandra, and well, you’ll have to watch the movie to understand.
