During the 2024 Oscar season, actor Sandra Hüller had the claim to fame of playing a role in two nominated films. Following her role as Hedwig Höss in The Zone of Interest, she lent her talent to Anatomy of a Fall, a gripping courtroom drama.
Both parts deal with heavy material, but in vastly different ways. In Anatomy of a Fall, Hüller plays Sandra, a woman who quickly becomes a suspect in her husband’s untimely demise. The film won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and it isn’t difficult to see why. The character of Sandra is multi-layered. It is never quite clear if she is complicit in her husband’s fall or not. Co-writer and director, Justine Triet, told W Magazine that this was intentional.
“I wanted Sandra to be complicated, like Marlene Dietrich in the film Witness for the Prosecution. At first, Dietrich seems like a femme fatale, in total control of men. And then you see another side completely — there’s something much more complex underneath.”
Triet wrote the script with her partner, Arthur Harari, during lockdown after they had a baby. They were entranced by the idea of not knowing whether Sandra was guilty of the crime or not. The two would work on scenes separately during the brief interludes when their baby was asleep. What resulted was a gripping drama about the trials of marriage.
What is Anatomy of a Fall rated?
The themes in Anatomy of a Fall are mature, which is reflected in the rating of the movie. The film is Rated R for language, sexual references, and violence. Parents take note: Specifically-speaking, though there is no overt nudity in Anatomy of a Fall, there are images of a naked dead body. The violence is also mild, but the integral component of the film revolves around the death of a character. The film shows a man’s body after falling from a great height, bleeding from the head. Profane language also occurs throughout the film with references to sexual intercourse.
The intense imagery that populates the film is perhaps the most disturbing. The audience hears depictions of domestic abuse, as well as in-depth descriptions. Animal lovers should also be aware there is a particularly intense sequence involving a dog. The family pet, Snoop, overdoses on Aspirin, and though he is ultimately saved, there are several moments where the animal suffers. Parents should also be aware that even though there is a main character who is a child, most of the content of the movie will most likely be upsetting for children. But for those grownups inclined to watch it sans kids, Anatomy of a Fall is available to rent or purchase on digital platforms.