Anatomy of a Fall

Anatomy of a Fall is yet another film I'm playing "catch-up" on in 2023. It came out several months back to largely unanimous praise and it's one I quickly added to my list of films I wanted to hit before the end of the year. 

As there's a lot to do from a Rath's Reviews perspective at the time of writing this (Rath Awards, seeing final 2023 films, etc.) I'll keep my next several reviews brief, including this one. 

Anatomy of a Fall is a perfect example of why I love doing film reviews. As a French foreign film, I can confidently say it's not one I would have sought out on my own accord, but thanks to word of mouth and "being in the know", it sounded like it was truly special. 

And special it is...Anatomy of a Fall is, on the surface, a fairly mundane film. There's very little pizzazz with the filmmaking, there's not a whole lot of captivating music to speak of, and most of the film takes place in the confines of a French courtroom. So what attribute makes it so compelling? So gripping? Outside of widespread strength of performances, it's the writing. 

We're placed in the setting of a family in what seems like a normal day. Sandra (Sandra Huller) is meeting with someone who could be a colleague while her husband works upstairs and her son goes on a walk with the dog. The son returns from his walk to find his father dead, having fallen out the attic window. What proceeds is the French judicial and media system investigating Sandra for the murder of her husband. That aforementioned writing feels surgical in its precision, giving up relevant bits of information along the way building the mystery of what really happened (we as the audience don't truly know), while also making these characters, this family, and this marriage a fully fleshed-out, organic plot device. Sincerely, it's a film that feels like it should be far more boring than it is, but you'll suddenly grasp how involved you are with the "did she, didn't she?" and the complexities of this family's history and marriage. 

I promised I would keep these next few reviews short and with Anatomy of a Fall, I've outlined everything you already need to know. It's a special film - and one of the year's best - largely because of how fantastic the writing and performances are. I'm certainly not a courtroom-drama junkie, but I was glued to the screen streaming this, even with a million other things that needed to be done. 

Rapid Rath's Review Score | 9/10