Anatomy of a Fall

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⭐ 9.5/10

(Originally written by Tim)

This is an incredible movie that is basically a French courtroom drama. Husband dies in what appears to be an accident, wife is accused of murder, trial begins. Simple premise, amazing execution. Oh, they also have a partially blind son and a great dog.

So the opening of this movie is so confusing, and I thought amazing, something you keep coming back to as the movie continues. And as the trial continues layers keep being peeled back and you see/hear things that had me constantly changing whether I thought she was innocent. The lawyers are fantastic, one you are rooting for and the other is so incredibly hate-able. It's in a gorgeous setting, in a language that sounds great when people are arguing in it. So many excellent elements to this movie.

I thought the central question of whether this wife and mother was innocent was so compelling. She reacts to things in such an intellectual way, very counter to what you would expect of someone in this situation, but does that make her guilty? She was not a great wife, refusing to back down in any argument and being so blunt and hurtful. Does that make her guilty? There are more reveals about what she has done and who she is as a person, and its fascinating how that effects whether or not you think she committed this murder. We see Western courts get verdicts wrong all the time, and I am not sure if European courts actually allow so much subjectivity in their courts, but it sure makes for a good movie.

There was a flashback scene in this that totally wrecked me, and another courtroom evidence scene that is the pinnacle of the movie, one of the best movie fights you will ever see told in such an interesting way. A gutting movie whether you think she did it or not, leaving you with so much to think about. I thought the son was fantastic as well, an impressive performance for someone so young.

No flaws in this one, but I still hold my 10s closely. Maybe docked half a star due to the long runtime, but I thought it earned every minute.

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