It's a legal drama set in the recent past in a chalet in the French Alps near Grenoble and a courtroom in Grenoble, France. It follows the investigation and trial of a female novelist charged with the death of her husband, also a novelist.
Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) is a successful German novelist. While studying in Great Britain, she met her husband, Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis), a French-background university lecturer and aspiring novelist. They have an 11-year-old son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), who suffered an injury at age four that seriously affected his eyesight. They have moved to Samuel's home community near Grenoble because he thought this would aid his writing. They speak English and French at home; Samuel doesn't speak German, and Sandra believes her French is not strong. Clearly, the marriage has been troubled since Daniel's accident, which took place in a traffic accident while Daniel was in Samuel's care.
The movie opens with Sandra being interviewed by a graduate student, Zoé Solidor (Camille Rutherford). Samuel is working in the chalet's attic, installing insulation and playing music louder and louder, forcing the interview to end. When Zoé leaves, Daniel takes his dog, Snoop, for a walk. When he returns, he discovers Samuel dead on the ground after a fall from the third-floor attic. Sandra claims she was asleep until she heard Daniel's scream.
The circumstances of Samuel's death launch an investigation. Did Samuel fall? Was he pushed? Did he jump? What caused his significant head wound? The authorities eventually charge Sandra with murder. Her lawyer, Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud), has an earlier history with Sandra and seems uncertain about his beliefs about her role. The trial does come to a believable conclusion.
Sandra Hüller and Milo Machado Graner give stunning performances. "Anatomy of a Fall" is one the best legal dramas I've seen for a long time. I can't speak to the accuracy of the French courtroom scenes; it's markedly different than North American and English courts in the wide-ranging manner of witness interrogation that involves the accused all along the way, and both the prosecutor and defense lawyers take great liberty to insert argument amid questioning. But the audience learns just a little more at each turn through the slow unfolding of Sandra's and Samuel's marriage through the testimony.
If you like legal dramas, "Anatomy of a Fall" is highly recommended.
Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) is a successful German novelist. While studying in Great Britain, she met her husband, Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis), a French-background university lecturer and aspiring novelist. They have an 11-year-old son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), who suffered an injury at age four that seriously affected his eyesight. They have moved to Samuel's home community near Grenoble because he thought this would aid his writing. They speak English and French at home; Samuel doesn't speak German, and Sandra believes her French is not strong. Clearly, the marriage has been troubled since Daniel's accident, which took place in a traffic accident while Daniel was in Samuel's care.
The movie opens with Sandra being interviewed by a graduate student, Zoé Solidor (Camille Rutherford). Samuel is working in the chalet's attic, installing insulation and playing music louder and louder, forcing the interview to end. When Zoé leaves, Daniel takes his dog, Snoop, for a walk. When he returns, he discovers Samuel dead on the ground after a fall from the third-floor attic. Sandra claims she was asleep until she heard Daniel's scream.
The circumstances of Samuel's death launch an investigation. Did Samuel fall? Was he pushed? Did he jump? What caused his significant head wound? The authorities eventually charge Sandra with murder. Her lawyer, Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud), has an earlier history with Sandra and seems uncertain about his beliefs about her role. The trial does come to a believable conclusion.
Sandra Hüller and Milo Machado Graner give stunning performances. "Anatomy of a Fall" is one the best legal dramas I've seen for a long time. I can't speak to the accuracy of the French courtroom scenes; it's markedly different than North American and English courts in the wide-ranging manner of witness interrogation that involves the accused all along the way, and both the prosecutor and defense lawyers take great liberty to insert argument amid questioning. But the audience learns just a little more at each turn through the slow unfolding of Sandra's and Samuel's marriage through the testimony.
If you like legal dramas, "Anatomy of a Fall" is highly recommended.