One of my favorite things to do during this time is to see the films nominated for the Oscars. Recently, I watched "Anatomy of a fall" (Original title: "Anatomie d'une chute") and thankfully, I was not disappointed, on the contrary, I was amazed.
Careful! This article contains spoilers!
About the movie: The movie is a drama genre, directed by Justine Triet. The screenplay was written by Justine in collaboration with Arthur Harari and the event tells about the marriage of Sandra (Sandra Voyter) with Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis), her husband.
They both live in a secluded mountain house, along with their son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) and their puppy Snoop. Events unfold quickly and suddenly, Samuel is found dead in a mysterious way, with a wound to the head, near the house. Suspicion falls on his wife, who seeks the help of an old lawyer friend, Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud). Doubts keep growing and Sandra ends up in court and slowly, the couple's life is revealed, with their secrets and problems.
Before he died, Samuel recorded a fight with Sandra, in which he accused her of plagiarism and that she wanted to control his life. The fight turns physical and it is unclear who hits whom, but in court, it is said that the violence comes from Sandra, who admits that they hit each other, but in the end, Samuel started hitting himself.
The whole picture slowly unfolds: Sandra is bisexual and had a relationship with a woman 1 year before Samuel's death (cheating on her husband). However, Sandra insists that a mere recording does not describe the nature of their relationship. The son, Daniel, is affected by all this and takes the final turn in the trial, revealing his father's suicidal thoughts and conducting an experiment.
The film is fantastic, full of details and a well-constructed script, in which you can see very well when Sandra puts her shoulders to the wall, how gentle she is with her son, how she blames her late husband and how has difficulty adapting to a different language and culture, implying that she moved away from her home and country, for the sake of the desire for peace and financial problems.
Why should you see it?
One more reason why you should see the movie is because it is based on the true story of Sandra, a successful German author, and her husband, Samuel, who aspired to be an acclaimed writer. In this film, there is a tension that leaves you in suspense, which also comes from the communication in different languages. Sara will communicate in English, while Samuel in French, because they live in France. Their tension, even though Samuel has passed away, is present, especially in the memories and the events that follow the suspect's life.
Daniel's (Milo Machado-Graner) acting is also phenomenal. He is blinded in an accident with his father and is the person who finds Samueli dead. His drama is great, but he gives very little of himself. All the while, thanks to his truncated memory due to the trauma, he will make sense of the event. He becomes one of the key witnesses and of course, this has its weight.
In film, the script is super important! In "Anatomy of a Fall" it's just fantastic, flows perfectly and connects very well with every feeling and situation. As this film also shows us, marriage is an endless puzzle, filled with moments that bind the couple and situations that tear it apart. As Sandra insists several times, the nature of her relationship is much more complicated than what is presented in court by biased judges.
In the film we see a judgment on Sandra, who puts her career first, in relation to childcare and marriage. Also, the eyes of the people in the court dart when she openly admits that she had a relationship with a woman. However, this is not a situation like the trial of Mersault in "The Stranger" by Albert Camy. She refuses to link these decisions in her life to her husband's murder.
The direction and cinematography have also done a very good job, with the camera movements, especially in the cases when Daniel and Sandra are facing the trial. Through the movement of the camera, we see how Daniel is confused when the 2 lawyers throw and wait for answers on the case, as well as when Sandra, despite the tendency and mania to blame him, remains dominant and the camera is in front of him.
In short, I suggest you watch this movie and discover more elements! It will leave you with mixed feelings.
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