Rent Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Engaging court drama interrogating a marriage - Anatomy of a Fall review by PD

This one's the tale of a stone-cold female author Sandra who steals her husband’s book idea, then mercilessly murders him, or alternatively, the tale of widow who must defend herself in court after her depressed husband commits suicide by jumping from the attic window of their remote home in the French Alps. The facts of the case: Sandra Voyter is a writer whose books often borrow from her life—the death of her mother, the emotional rift from her father, and the accident that left her 11-year-old son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) partially blind. Her husband Samuel, also a writer, was unable to pick Daniel up from school on time, leading to the accident, and thus blamed himself. One morning, Daniel goes on a walk with his dog Snoop and returns to find his father dead in the snow. Sandra, the only other person present in the house at the time, is the prime suspect, although she claims she was asleep.

Thus set up, the film centres on Sandra's predicament, and therein lies the first problem, for whilst Sandra might be an icy protagonist, Triet’s view of her is weighted in her favour, not least because it's told almost entirely from her point of view. A potentially hostile media for example is ever-present but its perspective strangely utterly tame: the most damning thing a talk show host does in the film is read a quote from one of Sandra’s books (in a film more daring in its critique of the media, you might see a Joan Rivers-like media figure cracking inappropriate jokes about Sandra’s frigid demeanour), whilst in court our sympathies are similarly entirely weighted in favour of Sandra's lawyer/friend. In contrast, the best moment is one of tense passion, showing Sandra and Samuel battling it out in flashback via an audio recording he made without her knowledge, the day before his death. They may be famous writers, but they have a lively argument over the same things many other couples argue over: money, infidelity and, most of all, the division of labour in the household. Who does more for the family, who makes more time for their son? This explosive moment puts the main question that is quietly present in our lives squarely into focus: If your romantic life were put under the scrutiny of the law, without time for preparation, would you come out as the victim or the perpetrator? Marriage is of course often a messy business when it comes to who is blame for what, but the courts must have a black-and-white version of things in order to uphold the law. Since Sandra must prove herself innocent of murder, her main initiative becomes convincing the court that her husband committed suicide, even though she has no physical evidence of this and doesn’t even believe it herself. However, despite Triet's clear sympathy for Sandra, it's also easy to see her as a very selfish woman focused only on herself and her writing career, to the point that she blinds herself completely to her husband’s depression, even after his death.

For me, the film is most compelling, not as a 'whodunnit', nor as the interrogation of a marriage, but as a picture of a grieving child working his way through his father’s death; in this regard Machado-Graner’s tear-jerking performance as a heartbroken child searching for impossible answers after discovering his father’s lifeless corpse is a much more engaging story, and watching Daniel move through the stages of his grief, from bedridden depression to finding some semblance of peace, is ultimately what makes the film worth it. Sandra’s fate rests with Daniel’s court testimony; so too does the arc of the film. Machado-Graner’s tears push past “generic sad kid” and plumb the depths of distress to discover a newfound, authentic optimism in Daniel’s dark circumstances. Shading the role further, a science experiment Daniel performs involving Snoop and some aspirin leads to stellar dog acting that goes far beyond simply playing dead (and earned a well-deserved Palm Dog win). All in all, a rather uneven piece.

Watch - but don't expect a neat and tidy ending. Or characters you feel empathy with! - Anatomy of a Fall review by rhilton311

OK it's a bit long. I'm assuming the court scenes were accurate (big assumption I agree).

The Jury, who interestingly you never really saw, reaches a verdict (no spoilers there!) but what I liked is that the film never showed you a flashback to confirm whether the jury was correct. For me, I think their verdict was, on balance, the correct verdict. But it did lead to a debate with the others I watched this with as to whether we thought the Jury was correct.

The biggest disappointment was that none of the adults were sympathetic. I wasn't rooting for any of them. The prosecutor was aggressive . The defendant and the deceased were entitled privileged people who seemed to have no idea of the world the rest of us live in. Appropriately they live in a Ski Chalet in the rarefied air of the alps.

There were some good scenes as the background to their marriage unfolded in court but I never felt that a rabbit was going to be pulled out of a hat to prove the case one way or another.

Less a crime drama and more an analysis of a disintegrating marriage.

Tedious Wordy Overlong French Courtroom Drama - Anatomy of a Fall review by PV

I am simply stunned this won an Oscar and BAFTA for the screenplay, WHY? I noticed no stunning writing or character development - instead lots of stilted language in a French but sometimes English script.

I strongly suspect this was a #metoo win in the new woke Oscars and BAFTAs. Sad.

This is just tedious beyond belief. Something happens. Then we see the very boring French legal system at work. There is no tension. A married couple argue. A son is upset and there is a dog. And snow. I liked the snow. Not the people.

Was gonna give this 2 stars but relaly, why should I? The praise heaped on this like a snowdrift is baffling. ONE SAD STAR. The most boring film I have watched this year.

I didnt fall for it. Crushingly dull french talkathon - Anatomy of a Fall review by cr

The premise here is husband is engaged in high jinx DIY in a chalet on the top floor in grenobe in the french alps. He takes the short way down head first.

Zut alors!

The wife falls under suspicion for various reasons and then i gave up and turned it off.

A long film which is incredibly tedious but loved by the critics and the oscars!

Perhaps i am just not clever enough to understand it but think its more likely that its another example cf the cinema's "emporers new clothes" where entertaining and popular films are ignored and "cerebal" dross like this are over praised.

However is was good to hear P.I.M.P. again by 50 cent.

Avoid.

Overlong boring stage play - Anatomy of a Fall review by Alphaville

This excruciating theatre-piece alienates from the start, with close-ups of talking heads making inane conversation to an irritating soundtrack. It then continues in the same annoying fashion for 2½ hours. Someone is dead. Accident or murder. The investigation is painstakingly talky and funereally slow, followed after an hour by a court case that is even more painstakingly talky and funereally slow. How this has garnered good reviews is unfathomable. Maybe it could have been interesting given something to watch rather than listen to, but the director can do nothing but shoot talking heads. The trailer adds music and fast cuts to make it look interesting. Don’t be fooled. This is just a filmed play that takes 2½ hours out of your life when you could be more usefully employed watching paint dry.

Intriguing court drama - Anatomy of a Fall review by HM

An apparently straight forward accident becomes a murder enquiry. Slow burning but absorbing, it kept me dangling waiting for revelations that must surely come. Intelligent with the odd twist and turn. It kept me interested despite the slow pace, mainly because the performances are so strong. It worked for me, but in an age of 'fast food movies', it may demand too much of the blockbuster audience.

Anatomy of a Fall - Anatomy of a Fall review by SJ

One of the best films I have ever seen. Tense, complex and gripping. Very authentic French Court scenes.