Anatomy Of A Fall review: A really terrific, cerebral courtroom drama with some fantastic performances, writes BRIAN VINER
The anatomy of a fall cannot be accused of brevity.
We don’t get any change in two and a half hours. And besides being too long, I don’t think it should have won the coveted Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The number two, The Zone Of Interest (an extraordinary film set in Auschwitz, which will be released in February next year), seemed to me a more worthwhile choice.
But that doesn’t change the fact that Anatomy Of A Fall is really great.
It is a cerebral thriller, mainly in English and French, about a famous writer, Sandra, who is suspected of deposing her husband.
Sandra is played by the brilliant German actress Sandra Huller (horrifyingly well, by the way, in The Zone Of Interest).
Anatomy of a Fall is a cerebral thriller, mainly in English and French, about a well-known writer, Sandra, played by Sandra Huller (pictured, left), who is suspected of pushing her husband
She lives in the French Alps with her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and their visually impaired son Daniel (a fantastic performance by the young Milo Machado Graner).
For people of a certain age, it looks like the best ever full-length episode of the 1970s TV series Crown Court.
She lives in the French Alps with her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and their visually impaired son Daniel (a fantastic performance by the young Milo Machado Graner), who discovers his father’s body after returning from a walk with his guide dog.
Samuel fell to his death, but was it an accident, suicide or murder?
An unclear autopsy leads to a gripping trial, in which director and co-writer Justine Triet uses flashbacks to highlight the many problems in the marriage and to play with our assumptions.
For people of a certain age, it’s like the best ever full-length episode of the 1970s TV series Crown Court. Highly recommended.