Top 15 Movies of 2023: No. 7 - Anatomy of a Fall

7. Anatomy of a Fall, dir. Justine Triet

"Murder" as a action verb has a very definitive reality. But the absolute truth of any event can only be 100% known by the universe and God. Information is never fully retrievable, it is terrifying how little we actually know, despite the brutal certainty by which we deal out punishments in the justice system. "Murder" as a legal term is much more fluid, much more up to interpretation. A trial can only have the pretense of being a fact-based enterprise. It is really only a battle between two narratives: guilty and not guilty. Especially in this case, where the physical evidence is completely inconclusive (not that forensic science is 100% trustworthy either). All the state really has in its case is a theory about what this marriage was. So was it murder? Should she go to jail? That depends on you more than the suspect or the victim.

Anatomy of a Fall will not answer the central question of what happen. It does not show the deadly fall that killed a man. The victim, Samuel (Samuel Theis) only appears in flashbacks. As a living presence he is only felt as a loud radio up in a attic while his wife, Sandra (Sandra Hüller) conducts an interview downstairs. During the time frame during which Samuel falls from the third floor of his house, we follow their blind son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), as he walks the dog around the hills outside. Daniel has a very specific memory of hearing a conversation between his parents. However, this memory becomes so confused and litigated so heavily, even I cannot remember what Anatomy of a Fall actually showed us, if anything. Which is fitting, because the faultiness of memory is going to become a major plot point. Sandra claims to have been napping when the fall takes place. Anatomy of a Fall might frustrate some who need the closure of a definitive answer, or even a hint of an answer. But ultimately the drama is not about who did what, but how society need to punish somebody over a completely unanswerable question.

Anatomy of a Fall becomes mainly a courtroom drama, with Sandra on a stand defending her innocence versus a very aggressive prosecutor (Antoine Reinartz). Sandra's lawyer is her friend, Vincent (Swann Arlaud), a kind quiet man who is developing romantic feelings during the course of this ordeal. I cannot tell you how accurate any of this movie is to real French courtroom experiences. (It is wild how just wanting to talk about movies keeps revealing my own ignorance about so many topics, from basketball, eco-revolutionary praxis, now the Napoleonic Code.) The court that Anatomy of a Fall portrays is much more open and direct than the strict rules of who is allowed to speak in American law. This place is a half circle with defense and prosecution staring directly at each other, with the judge facing the audience. And instead of the slow, agonizing process of testimony, cross-examination, follow-ups, with each side handing off the ball in courts I've experienced, a French trail is an ongoing conversation. It is more chaotic and difficult, but also feels more human, with the accused actually encouraged to be a central part of the discussion. The case ultimately is all about her and her life, less about proof, so Sandra is effectively defending her life and her choices.

There's a lot of baggage at play here with plenty of details that would make the public resent her. Sandra is a German woman in a French court. There is the issue of choosing to speak English in a country proud of its native tongue. She's a successful writer to an artistically-frustrated husband. She's bisexual and has affairs in a sexless marriage. Daniel's blindness is core to the couple's unhappiness. The prosecution even digs into Sandra's writing to ponder if her work points to being a murderess. Eventually even the adorable family dog, Snoop, is a core piece of evidence, suddenly reminding Daniel of a major event that changes his perspective on the entire case.

I really like a lot of details in Anatomy of a Fall. Daniel could be growing apart from his mother thanks to the trial and the dirt he is learning about her. I love the very quiet romance between Sandra and Vincent. They're going through some puppy dog love, unconsummated since both know this would be a disaster, yet their final goodbye is very powerful scene. Justine Triet is using a lot of very dramatic zoom-ins (just like May December, I guess the zoom-ins is back in 2023), long-takes. This is all shot on some very handsome film stock too, great grain. Anatomy of a Fall could have been a William Friedkin movie.

Also to lay out my cards personally: Daniel's entire testimony at the end is made-up. Sandra did not kill her husband. The state's case was crap from the start. Also, the princess totally chose the tiger to eat that dude. He is lunch.