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In Justine Triet’s thought-provoking thriller Anatomy of a Fall, an unexpected disaster strikes without warning. The day starts off like any other for a family living in the Alps, with a mix of work and household projects. The child takes a stroll, accompanied by the family dog through the pristine snow. Upon returning home, there is a subtle shift in the atmosphere as the dog starts to whimper and act agitated. A man’s lifeless body is discovered on the snow, with dark red blood seeping around his head. This triggers panic, chaos, and the inevitable question: was this a case of foul play?
During the incident, the only other individual present in the house was the victim’s spouse, writer Sandra Voyter. The role of Sandra is skillfully portrayed by Sandra Hüller, who previously impressed audiences with her performance in “Toni Erdmann” as a stressed consultant. As the investigation progresses, discrepancies arise and Sandra shifts from being a witness to a prime suspect. Despite her claims of innocence, a tense and unsentimental courtroom drama unfolds, revealing the couple’s longstanding grievances and hidden secrets in the pursuit of justice, which also becomes a source of public fascination. The prosecutor takes pleasure in reading aloud a passage from Voyter’s novel where the main character envisions her partner’s lifeless body. While her legal team argues that fiction should not be equated with reality, they are aware that such arguments may appear insignificant when the focus shifts from the supposed crime to Sandra’s character.
One of the most interesting aspects of the movie is what it chooses not to reveal. In a time where films often include flashbacks, depicting scenes from the past in a romantic and soft light (possibly reflecting the trend of stories that explore original traumas), the director makes a bold decision to make Sandra’s husband, Samuel, mostly absent and almost like a ghost. The focus is on Sandra’s present, which is thoroughly examined. Throughout the trial, there are underlying gender issues as lawyers mention Sandra’s bisexuality and previous affairs, and analyze her writing success in comparison to Samuel’s abandoned writing projects. An audio recording of the couple captures Samuel discussing taking on more emotional labor and child-rearing in their marriage. This leads to one of the few flashbacks in the film (which is not romanticized), bringing us into the room as the couple’s conflict reaches its breaking point. Then, in the climax, the curtains are drawn and we are back in the courtroom, hearing the sounds of slaps, heavy breathing, and muffled noises, while seeing Sandra maintain her composure and the busy public gallery.
In recent years, the public has been fascinated by true crime stories and dramatic courtroom performances, offering the illusion that the truth can be easily uncovered and the culprit, motive, and murder weapon can be definitively identified. However, the book Anatomy of a Fall exposes this fantasy. For every psychologist who believes the husband was angry and resentful, there is a wife who remembers a man who was frustrated at times but also lived his life. And for every expert who claims blood splatter indicates murder, there is another who argues that uneven distribution of body weight suggests an accidental fall. As Daniel, a child caught in the middle of a messy and sorrowful public scandal, is told by a friend, a decision must be made. The truth may eventually be revealed, but what is certain is the destruction left behind.
Source: theguardian.com
