Anatomy of a Fall

When young "Daniel" (Milo Machado Graner) returns from a walk in the snow with his dog ("Snoop") he discovers the body of his father lying on the snow in front of their alpine house. He shouts for his mother, writer "Sandra" (Sandra Hüller) and soon the police investigation is out to establish just what happened. What do we know? Well, not a lot really - just that before the young man left for his stroll, his mother was giving an interview in their kitchen to a journalist that was being increasingly drowned out by the intrusive music emanating from her husband upstairs, and - that young "Daniel" is blind. "Sandra" enlists the help of a friend who represents her as after many a re-enactment the authorities conclude that there is enough evidence that she lobbed him over the balcony and murdered him. A curiously relaxed courtroom drama now ensues. Those of us used to watching British or American scenarios like this might find the approach, usually entirely speculative, taken by prosecuting counsel to essentially draw his own conclusion from evidence that may or not be there is quite entertaining to watch. The President of the tribunal rarely intercedes in what becomes a frequently unsubstantiated analysis of the sometimes turbulent marriage of the two, we learn of the cause of the boy's blindness, of his mother's sexuality and by the denouement I felt that Justine Triet had worked well with a strong cast to create a whodunit where there might have been no crime at all! That denouement is a little rushed, but leaves a lovely degree of doubt in the mind of the one member of the cast who probably needed convincing the most! It's just a shade too long, a wee bit too much build up, but once it's in full swing this is a strongly performed, sometimes quite funny and dark crime drama that is well worth a watch.