Anatomy of a Fall movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Anatomy of a Fall movie review

This dramatic murder mystery is now playing on Vudu, Amazaon Prime, YouTube, and Google Play.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 31 minutes (This movie is LONG!!)

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A – but way too long!

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about a woman who is suspected of murdering her husband. Their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.

The legal drama has already won the Palme d’Or at the 76^th Cannes Film Festival. In addition, it has 36 wins and 77 nominations from various film festivals and critics choice organizations.

THINGS I LIKED:

Justine Triet wrote the screenplay specifically for Sandra Huller, who stars in the film. She’s fantastic in it. The other co-writer was Arthur Harari
The rest of the cast is also superb and includes Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz, Jehnny Beth, and more.
As an author, myself, I’m always fascinated by movies that reveal writers’ inspiration and methodology.
It’s interesting to see how a French court and lawsuit functions.
At the very beginning of the film, we hear an instrumental version of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P”. The song features Snoop Dogg. The first character we see is a family dog named Snoop.
The Border Collie that played Snoop actually won the “Palm Dog” award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Music plays an intriguing role in the story.
We get to visit France in an Alpine setting where the family lives.
The genius of this movie is in how it perfectly blends a murder investigation with the complex elements of family drama.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I can instantly select several scenes that could have been deleted in order to shave off the length of this film.
Some viewers won’t like the ambiguous ending.
It’s an emotional roller coaster that might exhaust viewers.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored.
We see a dead body with lots of blood pooling on the ground.
We see the naked backside of a man.
A lot of French is spoken with subtitles
Conversations about death are very blunt and graphic.
Some profanity and quite a few F-bombs.
Talk of sex.

THEMES:

Murder
Authors and writing
Truth
Trust
Family drama
Victims
Inventory of a couple’s life and of the death of a man
Marriage
Infidelity
Balance and justice in a relationship
Doubt
Gender
Guilt vs. innocence
Interpretation of facts
Judgment
Language translation and playing with words
The energy of despair

FUNNY LINES:

None. It’s a serious drama.

INTERESTING LINES:

“I loved him, but how do you prove that?” – Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller)
“I don’t believe in the notion of reciprocity in a couple. It’s naive and, frankly, depressing.” – Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller)
“I live with you. I plan my life around you.” – Daniel (Milo Machado Graner)
“This is life. Things circulate, you know.” – Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller)
“This is what English is for. It’s a meeting point.” – Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller)
“You really have no shame. That’s a superpower.” – Daniel (Milo Machado Graner)
“Me, personally, I refuse to rot inside, so I find solutions.” – Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller)
“It’s an argument. People exaggerate and alter facts when they argue.” – Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller)
“An author can express herself through her characters.” – L’avocat general (Antoine Reinartz)