Courtroom dramas done well can be compelling cinema, but the trick for success is for the screenplay to be complicated, tense and very clever.
Anatomy of a Fall has a first class screenplay. penned by director Justine Triet and Arthur Harari which centres around the death of a jobbing writer, who falls from the upstairs window of his French Chalet. Suspicion for his death starts to build against his wife, Sandra ( Sandra Hüller) who is a successful writer with a complicated relationship with her husband but a loving one with their eleven year old son, who was blinded in an accident when he was four.
The police investigation finally leads to court where more of the couple’s relationship is unravelled by a tenacious prosecutor( Antoine Reinhartz) and the defence lawyer (Swann Arlaud) a former suitor to Saudra.
Now, add to the mix that Sandra (who is German) only spoke English to her French husband and finds speaking French a difficulty and you have a fascinatingly uneven plot complicated by the fact that on the surface Sandra is such an unsympathetic character. She is bisexual, has had affairs during her marriage and seems capable of physical violence, a fact supported by secret recordings of conversations between herself and her husband made by her husband in order to spark his failing writing career.
One recording is shown as if filmed and in it Sandra’s calm and somewhat reserved nature is questioned in a brilliantly acted scene full of passion and intelligence and skill.
It’s a wonderfully put together film, that wrong foots the audience constantly.
And although some of aspects of the trial concerning the son ( a nice performance by Milo Graner) do beggar belief ( perhaps it is normal for police officers in France to give surely opinions rather than just facts) I was hooked from the start
A long watch but it’s worthwhile.
By the way I went to see the film at the new Chester Picture House a very shiny and over-the -top and very TALL Cinema, where I had to negotiate 6 flights of stairs to get to my seat
Ah steps. The reason why I can no longer go to the cinema. I can't negotiate them and Priscilla has wheels which do not like steps.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd kept a list of your movie reviews over the years. I'm adding this one to my notes
ReplyDeleteIt’s not an easy watch but it’s worth it
DeleteGreat review. Before television and movies, going to the Court House and watching criminal trials was small town entertainment, old court rooms are large with huge galleries. Fun spaces to perform in.
ReplyDeleteI can see the attraction, it’s a bit like overhearing a couple argue
DeleteSounds good! But 6 flights of stairs? Yikes!
ReplyDeleteYes, I missed the lift
DeleteGlad the 6 flights of stairs was worth it! Do they have a lift, too? xx
ReplyDeleteI found one eventually
DeleteSounds interesting, John. Hope it comes to Netflix one day.
ReplyDeleteLook out for it
DeleteSpoiler alert needed.
ReplyDeletePointless going to watch this now.
Not at all pointless.... sparked my interest and no ending was given. You're just a misery trying to find fault in everything. God I'd hate to be you. Dreary!
DeleteJo in Auckland
She wouldn’t understand the plot anyhow jo
DeleteShe or he is such an obviously deliberately curmudgeonly idiot I sometimes wonder if it's really just you having a laugh, but of course I'm sure it's not. She or he must get some sort of pleasure out of being forever unpleasant, so just think of it as your blog providing a therapeutic service as an outlet for the bile? The only reason for myself staying anonymous here is to avoid the bile coming my way.
DeleteChester Picture House had an apology in their website over the weekend, stating that the lift was out of order.
ReplyDeleteNot the best start hey? X
I cannot believe they have crammed 800 seats in 6 screens in such a small area, that’s why there are so many seats
DeleteNot 'in' their website…..but ON their website! X
ReplyDeleteGolly, the stairs would have defeated me! As for the pain-in-the-neck who reckoned you'd spoilt the film... you certainly raised my interest, so thank you. It does seem long, and I read recently that there's the suggestion that Intervals need to be brought back. I'd agree with that!
ReplyDeleteI think you missed your vocation as a film and stage critic. That really was such a well written film review. I wish I could write like that.
ReplyDelete