In many ways, Justine Triet's 2023 courtroom drama plays like many film classics before it like Billy Wilder's "Witness for the Prosecution" and Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder", but as usual, the art is in the plot twists and character revelations. In this respect, Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari have fashioned a mystery that appears to change tone and direction from scene to scene. The plot pivots on a family of three in an isolated French chalet - Sandra, a successful, German-born author, her struggling writer husband Samuel, and their son Daniel who recently lost his eyesight. Daniel finds Samuel dead from an apparent fall, and while it looks like a suicide, evidence mounts to the contrary. Precariously tethering the film emotionally is Sandra Huller's intensely compelling performance as Sandra. It's work that starts with subtleties and grows in complexity with sharp precision. Also remarkable is Milo Machado Graner's guileless work as Daniel - a great child performance. A genuinely absorbing film that justifies its 148-minute running time.
Review of Anatomy of a Fall
