ANATOMY OF A FALL

Anatomie d’une chute

Special Screening | France | 2023 | Drama, Thriller | 150 min | In French with English subtitles
Directed by: Justine Triet
Written by: Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
Produced by: David Thion, Philippe Martin (Les Films Pelléas), Marie-Ange Luciani (Les Films de Pierre), France 2 Cinéma
Cinematography: Simon Beaufils
Film Editing: Laurent Sénéchal
Cast: Sandra Hüller (Sandra), Swann Arlaud (Vincent), Milo Machalo Graner (Daniel), Antoine Reinartz (the prosecutive attorney), Samuel Theis (Samuel), Jehnny Beth (Marge), Saadia Bentaïeb (Mour), Camille Rutherford (Zoé)
International Sales: MK2 International
U.S. Distributor: Neon

Justine Triet‘s astute Cannes Palme d’Or-winner could have easily been entitled “Anatomy of a Marriage,” for that is ultimately the heart of this intelligent, constantly surprising courtroom drama… with actor Sandra Hüller’s cool detachment and subliminal emotional force its linchpin. The marriage in question is that of Sandra and Samuel. Both novelists, she’s more successful than he. They’ve spent the past year living in a remote chalet in the French Alps with their blind eleven-year-old son Daniel. When Samuel is found dead in the snow at the foot of their home, the police deduce that he was murdered and Sandra becomes their prime suspect. The subsequent trial evolves into an unsettling psychological dissection of the couple’s progressively fraught relationship.

Justine Triet began her career directing three documentaries: Sur place (2007), Solférino (2008) and Des Ombres dans la Maison (2009). Two Ships (2012), her first narrative short, won the Best European Short Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and the Press Award at the Côté Court Festival, where her lead, Laetitia Dosch, also garnered the Best Actress Award. Her debut feature, Age of Panic (2013) was selected for ACID in Cannes and was nominated for a Best First Film César. Victoria opened the 2016 Cannes Critics’ Week and was nominated for five César Awards, including Best Film. Sibyl (2019) was an official selection in Cannes. In addition to being honored with the coveted Palm d’Or in Cannes this year, Anatomy of a Fall also won Audience Awards in both Sydney and Brussels, and Messi the pooch (as Snoop) nabbed the Cannes Palm Dog award.