This Movie IS For:
- Those who can appreciate extended, quiet suspense
- Fans of the instrumental version of P.I.M.P. by 50 Cent
This Movie is NOT For:
- People who can’t handle dickhead prosecuting attorneys in bizarre French legal garb
- Moviegoers looking for an exciting crime thriller
Brief Review With No Spoilers
Anatomy of a Fall is captivating the whole way through despite its 2.5-hour runtime. The performances are nuanced and human in a way that often made me forget I was watching a movie. This is doubly impressive given that half of this movie involves shots of French legal proceedings with utterly ridiculous outfits that do their best to make the situation less serious. The suspense is alive from the first to the final frame, and well after, making this an exceptional film.
Like many Oscar contenders, Anatomy of a Fall is outside my normal genre. It’s slow, it’s deliberate, and it’s unsettling. There’s not a single familiar face in the cast, but each actor succeeds in making grounded, human characters. Despite the dramatic nature of the film’s circumstances, it never stops feeling believable. I was particularly surprised by Milo Machado-Graner, a fifteen-year-old actor whose performance is critical to the film. His portrayal of a child living through a failing marriage and then questioning his own recollection of events is heartbreaking.
The film revels in ambiguity. Throughout I found myself bouncing back and forth on the main character’s guilt and coming up with new and increasingly hair-brained theories to solve the mystery. But that’s the film’s trick; it’s not a complicated mystery. This is a simple window into a family torn apart by tragedy and a legal system trying to find fault. No one is good or bad, and there’s no detective to explain to the audience exactly what happened. Instead, we are given a realistic ending that might leave some audience members dissatisfied. There is no satisfying conclusion or wrap-up. Life simply continues on.
I thoroughly enjoyed Anatomy of a Fall, more than I thought I would, but I don’t think it’s going to be for everyone. It’s a slow, character-focused, burn that takes a murky look at a series of unsettling events. I can’t see myself revisiting it anytime soon, but I think it’s absolutely worth its runtime. If you’ve got thoughts on the ending and want to discuss, let’s get into it in the comments below. I have opinions!
4/5 Stars – I think she did it, but I just can’t prove it
More info about how I rate films here.
So far, here’s my ranking of the Oscar contenders I’ve watched:
Ashton Macaulay 
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