By Marc S. Sanders
Was Samuel Maleski pushed or did he commit suicide? It appears he fell from the balcony of the French chalet he shares with his wife Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) and their blind son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner). That is the focus of Anatomy Of A Fall, one of the films to be recognized in several Oscar categories for 2023 including Best Picture, Best Director for Justine Triet, Screenplay, Editing and an acting nomination for Hüller.
Triet’s film kept my attention right from the start because this newsworthy story has all the elements many would look for in a Netflix documentary or a Dateline program. New details are introduced in nearly every scene whether it stems from conversations that Sandra has with her attorney Vincent (Swann Arlaud) or as part of the witness interrogations during the thrilling trial scenes that take place a year after she has been indicted for causing her husband’s death.
Sandra is German. Samuel (Samuel Theis) is French. To stay on a common ground, they speak to one another in English. We learn this as the film flashes back to conversations and arguments the pair have prior to the deadly scene that occurs soon after the film begins. The inconsistency in how they communicate as a married couple will have one ponder how pertinent it is when Sandra is considered a prime suspect in her husband’s death. Also, it’s curious that Samuel suddenly decided to record a number of their disputes. More evidence is revealed as the story carries on.
On the surface, the story plays like a typical Law & Order episode. However, there’s a fresh quality to this kind of supposed crime drama. A large portion of Triet’s screenplay (co-written with Arthur Harari) takes place in a French courtroom and it’s interesting to see how the procedures of witness questioning varies from what American audiences are accustomed to. For example, an expert on blood splatters gives testimony and conclusion. While he is still on the stand awaiting further questioning, the Procureur will divert questions directly at Sandra, the accused, for explanations.
The material witness for both sides is Daniel. After returning from a nature walk with the dog, Snoop, he comes upon his deceased father lying in the snow with blood gushing from the side of his head. The blind son is thoroughly questioned about if he could hear arguments coming from his parents while loud music was blasting from his father’s upper-level workspace. He’s probed about his parent’s relationship and how he got along with his mother and his father respectively. Daniel is also put to the test of reenactments on the day in question. While he is outside with Snoop, could he hear the argument his parents were having over the loud volume of the music from 50 Cent playing.
A sort of competition between Sandra and Samuel is also noted, as she is a published author. He has been insecure of becoming a writer himself after giving up his job as a literature professor and moving the family into the mountains to restore this chalet as a personal project.
The performances in Anatomy Of A Fall are outstanding, especially from its lead Sandra Hüller, whose role was specifically written with her in mind. Of the many great dramatic moments, there’s a specific flashback scene introduced as evidentiary recording. It is a telling argument between Sandra and Samuel in the kitchen. Justine Triet directs this long scene as a common occurrence among most marriages but then it begins to elevate. Just when you think the two spouses are winding down, the intensity cranks back up again only it goes from a lower pitch to a much more aggressive state very quickly. Their quarrelling becomes erratic, and while we are watching the flashback, it cuts away the moment it gets physical. Triet wisely returns the film to the courtroom observing Sandra listening to her memory all over again while the packed audience focuses. In particular is the boy Daniel who is learning more about what weighed on his father and mother both individually and as a married couple. When the argument gets physical the viewer of the film is in the same position as everyone in the courtroom, or more specifically blind Daniel, left to only imagine who breaks what dish and who slaps who.
Vincent, Sandra’s attorney, reminds his client early on that there is the truth and then there is what a jury and a court of public opinion will believe. Swann Arlaud is not an actor I’m familiar with. (Actually, I’m not familiar with anyone involved in this film.) Arlaud is a standout though. I like how he listens and asks well timed questions of Sandra as she recounts what occurred the day of the incident; where Samuel was and what he was doing along with where she was, interviewing someone about one of her books, on the floor below. Swann Arlaud has a dubious expression as he absorbs all the information. Even he knows this could have gone several different ways. Maybe Samuel did intentionally jump to kill himself. Perhaps the aggravation that Sandra endured of her husband motivated her to push him over or to hit him bluntly on the head causing his fall over the balcony railing. There’s evidence to suggest a number of different outcomes.
Anatomy Of A Fall succeeds on the examination of a crime and how it is tried, particularly in a French court of law. Fortunately, the script does not offer many definitive answers when it concludes. There are hanging threads left to consider and wonder. Yet, it goes in depth with analysis so that when the verdict arrives, I could accept either decision of guilt or innocent. It’s unfair, but in a murder trial, especially if there’s a possibility that the accused is not guilty, then the victim is somewhat put on trial as well. Anatomy Of A Fall lends a case for either party. This film deserves its accolades for its fair and thought-provoking writing as well as the performances of the cast which include a main character that you might or might not find believable.
2 UNPAID MOVIE CRITICS!!!! 