Justine Triet premieres Anatomy of a Fall @TIFF2023

It was quite the exchange between Jane Fonda and Justine Triet during Cannes. It wasn’t the standard passing of the Palme d’Or to the winning director Justine Triet. She was chased down by Fonda to receive the award. Anatomy of a Fall made her the only third woman director to achieve this feat. The film dives deep into the current climate of relationships and the judicial process.

Sandra played by Sandra Hüller is a successful German writer. She is hiding away in the French Alps along with her husband Samuel, played by Samuel Theis. They live with their visually impaired son Daniel played by Milo Machado Graner. Samuel is discovered dead right at the beginning of the film in the snow in an isolated chalet. The audience is puzzled to see if he took his own life. Or by if someone helped him do just that. After further investigation, Sandra is indicted and put on trial for the murder of her own.

Anatomy of a Fall is an in-depth commentary on the present judicial system. It dives deep upon diving into the complexity and ambiguity of most relationships today. It is never a rosy path for most courts. Especially when trying to reach a major life-changing decision it is necessary to cover every angle. But this film serves to show some of the challenges and intricacies that all relationships face today. Passion still exists but it comes in a different form today allowing Triet to bring to the silver screen. There’s a reason this film won the Palme d’Or. Many of us cinephiles and FERNTV can’t wait to find out.