German actress Sandra Hüller became known to movie audiences in the West in 2016 when she co-starred as the put-upon daughter in the comedy TONI ERDMANN. The film received a Best Foreign Language Film nomination at the Oscars the following year, and although it didn’t win, it did attract Hollywood’s attention and an American remake starring Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wiig was announced. Thankfully, it never happened because you know it would have been inferior to the original. Hüller returned to Western cinemas again in 2021 with the brilliantly funny I’M YOUR MAN starring Dan Stevens, who surprised everyone by speaking perfect German. In 2023, Hüller is in two movies that are garnering critical attention. THE ZONE OF INTEREST, which is the UK’s Foreign Language Film entry for this year’s Oscars (it’s in German, if you’re wondering how that could happen), has already made it to the shortlist and is currently the favourite to win. Although the film is starting its global rollout in mid-January, no date has been announced yet for Hong Kong. I’m guessing it’s being held back for the HKIFF, which is scheduled for the end of March. Hüller’s other film is ANATOMY OF A FALL and it, too, is receiving much praise. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and it cleaned up at the European Film Awards in December, taking home six awards including the Best European Actress award for Hüller.

ANATOMY OF A FALL begins in a secluded chalet nestled on the slopes of the French Alps near Grenoble. Successful expatriate German novelist Sandra Voyter (Hüller) is being interviewed by a female student when loud music starts blaring from the attic where Sandra’s husband, Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis), is renovating their home. Their 11-year-old son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), who is visually impaired, decides to go for a walk with his guide dog and, when he returns, he finds his father’s dead body lying in the snow directly below the attic window. Did Sandra push Samuel out, did he just fall out or was it a suicide? The police think Sandra did it and the case goes to trial.

This story is less about the anatomy of a fall than it is the anatomy of a marriage falling apart. As the trial unfolds, we learn that Sandra and Samuel’s marriage was far from being the idyll that their surroundings would indicate. Just under the surface, a whole host of issues were bubbling away including infidelity, jealousy, blame and mental health, any of which could push Sandra to committing murder or to Samuel killing himself. Director and co-writer Justine Triet keeps audiences guessing which it is as new evidence and expert testimony slowly emerge.

Fans of North American courtroom procedurals on TV and film may find the French judicial system a little bizarre with the accused being called upon to testify while witnesses are giving their own testimony. From my own experience of years watching everything from PERRY MASON and L.A. LAW to A FEW GOOD MEN, I was less than impressed with how this bulldog of a prosecutor laid out his case. It was all circumstantial. Perhaps that would be enough for juries in France to convict but if I would be sitting in the jury box, I would not be swayed by his arguments. Fortunately, Triet leaves the truth of what happened that day ambiguous enough for audiences to wonder if justice was effectively served.

Once again, Hüller is a marvel to watch on screen. Here, she threads the needle ever so carefully presenting Sandra as a marginally unlikeable though still relatable character. Sandra chooses to speak English (her reason why is explained), adding one more bone of contention to her and Samuel’s troubled marriage, but it certainly doesn’t endear herself to either the prosecutor or the judge.

ANATOMY OF A FALL opens in Hong Kong on January 11th. It is also available now on Amazon Prime Video. Although it a good film with a strong central performance, I felt the courtroom scenes were on the weak side. Nevertheless, it is well worth a watch.

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