Justine Triet said she built the movie as if it were a puzzle. But the riddle that many viewers are trying to solve is: where did this film come from?
Anatomy of a Fall is a French crime and legal drama co-written and directed by Justine Triet, released in 2023. It tells the story of Sandra, Samuel, and their 11-year-old visually-impaired son Daniel. They live away from it all, in the middle of the Alps. One day, Samuel is found dead just outside their house. A murder investigation is launched. The main suspect: Sandra.
Triet is now at the peak of her art. The film was presented in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival 2023 and won the Palme d’Or. In January 2024, it became the first French film to win the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. The same night, it also won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
Recently, it garnered no less than five nominations at the 2024 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Quite an achievement, given the Academy’s reluctance to nominate foreign films in these categories.
The film is not inspired by real events. The director admits to having long wanted to adapt a news story, but in the end never found a case that suited her. Anatomie d’une chute is therefore an original work, written by Justine Triet with her partner, writer-director Arthur Harari. However, one case the filmmaker evokes is that of Amanda Knox, an American journalist imprisoned for almost four years in Italy following her conviction in 2007 for the murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow language exchange student who shared her apartment. The director was intrigued by the way her case was handled in Italy; like Sandra in the film, her sexuality was dissected during the trial.
It remains to be seen whether Triet’s talent and film will be rewarded. The Oscars will be handed out at the ceremony on March 11.
CREDITS: Text by Malena Cortizo A.
