ANATOMY OF A FALL (ANATOMIE D'UNE CHUTE)
Cert 15
152 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, bloody images
When a husband falls to his death from a window at an isolated Alpine home, and his wife is the only person in the house, there can surely be only two conclusions. Suicide or murder?
But there is much more than meets the eye in Justine Triet's impressive Anatomy Of A Fall.
Sandra Hüller gives a lifetime best performance as a successful writer with many a skeleton in her closet.
Her initial scenes are with a student in her home during an awkward interview, stopped by her husband's ultra-loud music.
The student leaves, and soon afterwards, the couple's blind son (Milo Machado Graner) finds his dad dead after returning from a walk with his dog.
But was he pushed from the upstairs window, or did he fall?
That becomes the subject of the courtroom drama that unfolds after the writer is charged with murder.
Anatomy of A Fall's success comes from its pinpoint writing that explores the pressure on both sides as they try to convince a jury of a defendant's guilt or innocence.
Antoine Reinartz is relentless as the prosecutor who produces ace after ace from up his sleeve.
Hüller's defence lawyer (Swann Arlaud) is less accomplished, and one even senses that his infatuation with his client.
But, the longer the proceedings continue, the more he becomes a credible adversary.
If this is a fair representation of a French trial, there is clearly more latitude than in Britain, but the defendant is still left with the same aim - to convince the jury of their innocence, not just of the truth.
Until the movie's end, the audience is kept guessing as much as they are.
Anatomy Of A Fall benefits from a layered script and quality acting. Our only quibble was that it is unnecessarily long.
Reasons to watch: Compelling courtroom drama
Reasons to avoid: Too long
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10
Did you know? Anatomy of A Fall was the third movie directed by a woman to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
The final word. Justine Triet: "I wanted to do something très homemade and very French. I wanted to dive deep into the question of the couple, but through the perspective of the justice system." The Guardian
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