Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall has emerged as a frontrunner this awards season, having won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival 2023 and bagging four nominations at the 81st Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture (Drama). The film was recently screened at the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival.

Anatomy of a Fall, Triet’s fourth feature film, is a tense and non-dramatic courtroom drama that takes a close look at the complexities of a marital partnership. In the process, the film evolves from a traditional murder mystery into a profound analysis of the slow descent that many marriages undergo.

At the centre of the story is Sandra (Sandra Hüller), a German-born author who faces a nightmarish situation when her husband, an aspiring French writer, Samuel (Samuel Theis), is found dead in front of their house and a French court accuses her of murdering him. Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), their partially blind son, becomes a crucial witness in the case.

The story progresses through legal proceedings, revealing Sandra and Samuel’s complex married life. Sandra’s defence lawyer claims Samuel’s death as suicide, citing his troubled mental state. The prosecution focuses on Sandra’s motive, highlighting conflicts, infidelity and plagiarism accusations. As the trial unfolds, little Daniel’s insights into his parent’s relationship become pivotal.

Unlike courtroom dramas that are prone to a stuffy vibe and vague wordplay, Anatomy of a Fall is electric and dynamic. Triet’s screenplay, co-written with Arthur Harari, plays with the audience’s biases and assumptions as it dissects Sandra and Samuel’s relationship, exposing the flaws and fault lines running beneath the surface.

Triet weaves themes of division of labour, the role of a wife and societal expectations into the narrative. Sandra’s unapologetic prioritisation of her career, frank admission of her affairs and refusal to conform challenge the expected victimhood narrative.

The film also plays with the concept that writers draw inspiration from the people around them, given that the lead characters — Sandra and Samuel — share the names of the actors performing these roles. Interestingly, in the film, Sandra is accused by the prosecution of announcing her intention to murder Samuel in one of her books.

At the end, Triet refuses to provide a clear answer to the central question: Did Sandra murder her husband? This uncertainty becomes one of the key pleasures of watching Anatomy of a Fall, leaving you with lingering doubts and a sense of unease over the missing piece in the puzzle.