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Anatomy of a Fall

Anatomie D’une Chute

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Justine Triet became only the third woman to win the top prize at Cannes, the Palme d’Or, for this engrossing psychological mystery thriller. In Anatomy of a Fall, when Samuel is found dead outside his alpine cabin it’s clear he plunged from the attic window. But did he jump, or was he pushed? The physical evidence is inconclusive, but the widow, Sandra looks eminently suspicious to the French authorities: she’s a prickly German novelist, and there is a recording of a violent argument she had with Samuel just the day before his death. The only other witness who might shed some light on the case is the couple’s visually impaired ten-year-old son. But as the trial proceeds, his faith in his mom’s innocence is shaken. Triet (who cowrote the screenplay with her life partner, Arthur Harari) proves there is still life in the courtroom drama. The film follows twin tracks: the nitty gritty interpretation of the evidence (which as the title suggests, hinges on the fall itself), and concurrently an anatomy of Sandra and Samuel’s marriage, which, in his absence, largely becomes an interrogation of her moral character. Layered and complex, this is compelling drama with a knockout performance from Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdmann).

 

Palme d’Or, Cannes 2023

 

Presented by

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz, Samuel Theis

Credits
Country of Origin

France

Year

2023

Series

Special Presentations

Language

In French with English subtitles

Content Warning

Animal Cruelty, Domestic Violence

18+
151 min
Action & Suspense Award Winners Drama Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits

Producer

Marie-Ange Luciani, David Thion

Screenwriter

Justine Triet, Arthur Harari

Cinematography

Simon Beaufils

Editor

Laurent Sénéchal

Production Design

Emmanuelle Duplay

Director

Justine Triet headshot

Photo by Yann_Rabanier

Justine Triet

Justine Triet is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 2009, she directed Des Ombres dans la Maison in a township of Saõ Paulo. Her debut feature La Bataille de Solférino was selected for ACID at Cannes 2013. Victoria, her second feature, opened the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2016. Starring Virginie Efira, the film was nominated for five Césars, including Best Film and Best Actress. Sibyl, her third feature, was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Anatomy of a Fall is her fourth feature and premiered in Competition in the Official Selection of Cannes 2023.

Filmography: Age of Panic (2013); Victoria (2016); Sibyl (2019)

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