New York Film Festival 2023: ANATOMY OF A FALL

First Public Screen at NYFF is October 7th

The New York Film Festival  has found the perfect double feature this year, coupling the press screenings of Justine Triet Anatomy of a Fall and Jonathon Glazer‘s The Zone of Interest. While each is a cinematic gem all their own, their pairing comes from their shared journeys, success and unforgettable performances. Both received critical acclaim at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, as well as Toronto Film Festival a few weeks ago, with both boasting an outstanding performance from actress Sandra Hüller, proving the incredible range she is able to encapsulate.

Yet, as perfectly paired as they feel, they are each uniquely brilliant in the stories they want to tell. For Anatomy of a Fall, it is the dissection of a death and a life. It is the choice of perception against the reality of a situation – where the truth isn’t always the point.

Perception of Guilt

One of my most anticipated films of the year, I hadn’t expected Anatomy of a Fall to encompass a breadth of human emotions as it does. From sound to visual construction, from narrative to performance, Anatomy of a Fall is firing on all cylinders. Set to the back drop the French alps, there is an early juxtaposition created in the fall of Samuel (Samuel Theis). The purity of the snow heightens the deep color of the blood stained ground following his fall.  A forced brutality against a scenic and peaceful back drop, visually, Anatomy of a Fall works to force the idea of a more violent death than the one we are initially introduced to.

There is an uneasy feeling as the film begins. As viewers begin to watch, they will already be aware of the synopsis of the film or seen the Fargo-esque movie poster, anticipating the impending death of Samuel. Rather, it is the unspoken that delivers the uneasy feeling that will live in the gut of the film’s audience. As Sandra (Sandra Hüller) is interviewed within her home for a student’s thesis, their interaction is interrupted, her husband playing a reggae/ Caribbean version of 50 Cent‘s “P.I.M.P.” on loop at full blast. The interview impossible to continue with, Sandra ends the interview hoping to pick it up at another time

The film is clever to allow its audience to follow the interviewer out to her car, giving clear indication that “the fall” has not yet happened. For a film that is coy with its information, it wants its audience to be very clear on the timeline of initial events. Yet this timeline becomes muddled following the discovery of Samuel’s body. The film moves forward days, weeks, months, eventually settling a year after the events. Police interviews, reenactments and trial preparation move the timeline smoothly forward, setting the initial dissection of the events of Samuel’s death.

Yet, this is a film that wants its audience to feel the same uncertainty as its characters. While Sandra tells her lawyer “I didn’t kill him”, his response, “that’s not the point”, delivers the heart of the film’s examination. Sandra’s truth is far from the point, but rather the perceptions of those around her. As the film moves to the trial aspect, the true dissection of a fall comes to pass. And this is not only the anatomy of Samuel’s fall, but rather the fall of a relationship, the fall of trust between a husband and wife and the fall of ones own perception of events. Where the film seems straight forward in the depths it is undertaking, it is anything but.

Conclusion

Given the depth of the film’s subject matter, Justine Triet‘s Anatomy of a Fall was surprising in the sense of humor it was able to harness. While more on the darker humor at times, it is also witty and clever with each delivery, maintaining the weight of its dissection. Many of these moments come during the trial portion of the film, yet they are brilliantly executed, lending the film to feel more lived and fully encompassing. Beyond humor and concept, I had expected, and fell in love with, the career performance of Sandra Hüller. Her Sandra reads like indifference, but there is a deeply grieving woman underneath with the resilience and fortitude to face the truth of the film’s dissection.

One of my most anticipated films of the year, Anatomy of a Fall needs no dissection to understand why this is sure to become one of your favorite films of 2023.