‘Anatomie d'une chute’ is a crime drama centering on Sandra (Sandra Hüller) and her son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) after her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) dies at the family home under suspicious circumstances. The two face unforeseen struggles in the search for the truth.
Opening on Sandra being interviewed for her latest book at her family home, an isolated mountain chalet, the conversation is interrupted as Samuel works on construction off camera whilst blasting loud music. Uneasy, a little tense and awkward, Sandra invites her interviewer to reschedule. Not unlike the story itself, the audience is immediately clued in to the fact that there is a lot more brewing under the surface than we’re immediately privy to.
With an ingenious set up, the obvious tragedy occurs before the 10 minute mark, disallowing the viewers to process what has happened. Altogether with Sandra and Daniel, the story unfolds in the immediate aftermath of the shock. With Daniel soon realizing the witness statement he has submitted may be inaccurate, ‘Anatomie d’une chute’ quickly establishes the unreliable nature of whichever narrator we’re to follow.
Ripe with uncertainty, the film slowly unfolds to present a complicated interweaving of truths, as the recount of events exactly as they were remain elusive throughout the feature. With more dubious facts coming to light, as the implication that the lawyer Sandra has hired harbours romantic feelings towards her, the constrained and tense marriage life that Sandra and Samuel has arrived at and the feelings of resentment Sandra and Samuel held against each other due to their differing views on raising their son and their work.
Told from different perspectives, the character of Samuel is constantly dissected, yet the beauty of the film lies in the fact that none of those are Samuel. Because we never get to see Samuel, his character is represented by the views of others, thereby making a definitive statement of his demise impossible. Without knowing the person, the film toys with the idea of the truth. What is the difference between representation and actual fact? The film holds strong in it’s courtroom drama format, as each side has a chance to make their statement, constantly shifting the perception of what has transpired.
Masterfully imaginative, ‘Anatomie d’une chute’ explores multiple angles, changing the ‘truth’ ever so slightly and allows us to imagine multiple possibilities of the ‘truth’ at the same time. Resolving to acquit Sandra, the film concludes square in the middle of the grey area. Without concrete evidence to point one way or the other, the film somehow does not frustrate, rather inviting us to accept that life is chaos, things do not exist in a vacuum and we have to learn to make peace with that.
Anchored by Hüller, the film’s success does not lie with her alone, however the actress delivers an impeccable, complicated and pitiable persona. Sandra transitions seamlessly between victim and abuser as the circumstances demand, effortlessly portraying a hurt and tired widow one minute and a suspected murderer the next. Delivering fully on someone who can and has been harmed, Hüller embodies the duality of the story, reflecting the nature of uncertainty through her desperate yet resilient character.
Arriving at and stopping at an impasse, one of Sandra’s final sentiments sums up the entire ordeal, where she laments that even though she had won the case, there is no reward, it’s just over. The emotional turmoil concludes on a sorrowful note, as Sandra and the audience have to process everything that has happened. Even though a final verdict has been delivered, ‘Anatomie d’une chute’ allows us to appreciate the fluid nature of the truth. The film transcends its subject matter and allows for further thoughts on the truth on a wider scale, teaching us to be more mindful of how we perceive things and how to process the information given to us.
Score: 4/4
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