Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet's
drama/mystery Anatomy of a Fall was a big hit at this year's Cannes Film
Festival, taking home the coveted Palme d'Or, and it is indeed a worthwhile
film.
Sandra Huller
plays Sandra Voyter, a celebrated novelist living in France with her husband
(Samuel Theis) and their visually impaired son (Milo Machado Graner). One day
shortly after a vicious argument, Samuel winds up dead on the ground in front
of their mountain chalet. It seems like it might have been a suicide, but
suspicious blood spatters, combined with the strained marital relationship,
cause the police to charge Sandra with murder.
Complicating
matters is a language barrier. The German Sandra can speak some French, but she's
better at speaking English, which is what she speaks with her French defense
attorney (Swann Arlaud). But the court wants her to speak in French.
Much of the film
features interrogations. This format can get a little wearying at the
152-minute running time. However, there is definitely more to recommend than
criticize here. The story is less concerned with whodunit than with how people
react when faced with a public mystery. In many cases, people never really find
out for sure what happened, so they pick the answer that they happen to like
the best. To this point, a character in the film says, "A famous writer
murdering her husband is so much more compelling than a teacher committing
suicide."
Viewers of Anatomy
of a Fall won't get easy answers, but they will get a thoughtful
examination of human nature.
