The “who done it” mystery has been a classic trope of cinema for years. Time and time again we have been sucked into countless murder mysteries, eager to find out who is the real murderer. It is rare to find a movie that navigates around the classic tropes and is able to find a refreshing, realistic take on a highly dramatic and enthralling mystery. Justine Triet’s 2023 drama, “Anatomy of a Fall,” successfully forged its own path and was a very refreshing and highly entertaining murder mystery.
The movie follows the story of Sandra Voyter, played by Sandra Hüller. Sandra is suspected of murdering her husband, and the only witness is her blind son Daniel, played by Milo Machado-Graner. Most of the film follows the events of the fall in which Sandra’s husband dies and the subsequent court case that takes place.
Beyond beautiful and highly executed directing from Triet is a very complex and powerful script. Justine Triet and Arthur Hirair, who won the Oscar for best original screenplay with “Anatomy of a Fall,” truly showed their brilliance in this film. To tell a murder mystery that is so raw and real doesn’t get done very often. Rather than focusing on the detective trying to solve the case, the film throws us into the lives of Sandra’s family. We watch as Daniel is exposed to his parents’ trauma and issues. We watch as Sandra becomes ruthlessly harassed for answers and assaulted with accusations.
The film’s most important aspect is not whether Sandra did murder her husband: it is about the repercussions if she did. Sandra is a very influential and powerful woman – she has made a name for herself as an esteemed author and is well regarded in the literary world. It is fascinating to see how Sandra’s entire relationship and career is questioned and torn apart by the news and lawyers.
Triet has easily cemented her legacy as one of the best filmmakers around. Her ability to stretch a very thin line of tension through a movie is hardly matched in today’s cinema. Her work is even more impressive considering the movie had a budget of 6.7 million dollars, which in today’s high-budget world of cinema is staggeringly low.
Compared to the outstanding 100 million plus budget of “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” what Triet was able to do with such a low budget is amazing. Her use of setting, music, and dialogue – not to mention a very friendly dog – tied the film together wonderfully.
Many of the classic murder mystery tropes are completely ditched and we are instead presented with a story that pulls at your heart rather than your intrigue. Rather than focusing on if Sandra killed her husband, we wonder why she would have and if it was justified. The movie is not about who did it, it is about why her husband is dead. The anatomy of how situations happen and why things deteriorate is what drives the film.
There is no doubt that Triet has an already impressive career, and with the global success of “Anatomy of a Fall” it will be exciting to see what she has in store. Hopefully studios will realize Triet’s talent and give her the opportunity to shine with a real budget and with the support of major studios. There is no doubt that “Anatomy of a Fall” will go down as a classic, and I hope the next project from Triet, which was already made official by producer David Thion, will be another smash hit.
