It’s not every day that a studio wins the Palme d’Or. So when a studio wins it 4 years in a row, it’s impossible not to take notice. Starting with Parasite, NEON has taken the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival with festival darlings Titane, Triangle of Sadness, and 2023’s inclusion, Anatomy of a Fall.
With this level of praise, the 61st New York Film Festival’s inclusion of the most recent Palme winner catapulted the film to one of the festival’s most anticipated. It’s not just that the film won the Palme, but also the courtroom drama subject matter that, as a die-hard fan of Benjamin Matlock, it’s hard not to be excited for.
Anatomy of a Fall subverts the traditional courtroom drama trope, creating a tense, dense deconstruction of the home and marriage. It is a fascinating journey through the highs and lows of a relationship and familial unit that removes the desire to know whether or not someone is guilty but wows you into submission with its sharp screenplay and this year’s best performance by Sandra Hüller.
Anatomy of a Fall takes you into the world of Sandra (Hüller), a German author who’s being interviewed by a graduate student at her home. When the interview goes sideways, thanks to her husband Samuel playing music loudly upstairs, everyone goes their separate ways and then tragedy strikes. As Sandra and Samuel’s son, Daniel, returns home from walking their dog, he finds Samuel’s dead body in the snow. What is thought initially to be an accident turns into an indictment of Sandra for the murder of her husband, and a journey of revelations commences.
Director Justin Triet and Arthur Harari’s screenplay weaves through the examination of evidence in such a complex method that it can dissect an individual’s fragility and the vulnerabilities of marriage and relationships.
At times, it’s hard not to see your personal relationships within Sam and Sandra, not in the “I’d murder my husband or wife” kind of way, but in the darkness of a marital fight. Using this power, Triet and Harari’s script evokes the importance of compromise and discussion and the stakes words can have on one another’s bond.
Without a doubt, the power of the film’s message and screenplay falls at the performance of Sandra Hüller. While clichéd to call it a tour de force, Hüller is, in fact, that. Creating a marvelous portrait of the dualities of both wife and woman, Hüller’s magnetic presence will keep cinephiles debating her guilt or innocence as the credits roll. What’s undebatable is Hüller’s Oscar hopes as the actress deserves her name called on nomination morning.
Along with Snoop the dog and Milo Machado-Graner’s performance, the two top supporting takes of the film create such tension and emotion that it’s impossible not to be choked up by the film’s third act. Snoop and Milo stand at the top of 2023 in a world of animal and child performances.
Anatomy of a Fall’s win of the Palme d’Or is entirely warranted. Unlike NEON’s winner last year, Anatomy of a Fall cements its place as a worthy winner and one of the year’s best films, performances, and memorable cinematic experiences.
