with Sandra Huller, Milo Machado Graner

 The title describes this movie, since dissecting each situation leading up to a man fatally falling informs every scene.  Samuel (Samuel Theis) falls to his death in a French chalet near the Alps. His wife, Sandra (Huller), had just dismissed a student who had come to interview her at her home. The reason: Samuel, upstairs, was playing music so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think. Samuel was also tending to some renovations with power tools, so that added noise did not help.

At the same time, their son, Daniel (Garner), age eleven, and visually impaired, goes for a walk with his dog, Snoop. They travel across rough terrain, up and down hills, and some of the early suspense comes from worrying that the boy might fall. But no, the person who falls is his father, and the question becomes how did it come to pass? Was he pushed by his angry wife? Did he commit suicide because of his frustration with his own life? 

As Samuel’s body is hauled away, and investigators come to examine the scene, a lawyer, Vincent (Swann Arlaud) )and friend of the family, arrives to advise Sandra on how to respond to the French legal team assigned to the case.

There are many reasons to admire this movie. Its complexity of thought, allowing the viewer to decide who if anyone is responsible, is rare in movies devoted to mysterious deaths. Hercule Poirot, no matter how many little grey cells he used, could not solve this case. The three characters at the center: the wife, who has reason to be frustrated with her husband; the husband, who has reason to be disgruntled; and the child, caught in the middle, all have carefully written dialogue so that we feel as if we are slowly getting to know them. The legal teams, on both sides, have the opportunity to present well reasoned if prejudiced arguments for their side. If I were on the jury, it would be difficult for me to decide.

Daniel, who discovers his father’s corpse, and watches his mother be accused of murder, is remarkable in his poise and ability to reason. Even though the lion’s share of the plot centers on Sandra, who is defending herself throughout, Daniel’s role determines the outcome in the end.

But I found the whole business rather sordid to watch, especially considering how the child is forced to play such a central role in what could have been the murder of his beloved father. The actress who plays Sandra could not be more perfect in the part. How I longed for the movie to be over so that I would not have to look at her any more. An intelligent movie, sure, but extremely distasteful. The pacing, very slow and pretentious, seemed to take a long time to get to the end, at which point the outcome was not very satisfying, and left me cold.  I confess I am more fond of the whodunnit, with the detective who comes up with the answer. I realize that this is not how things in real life usually come out, but still, Anatomy of a Fall reminded me all too well how ugly life can be, and unpleasant.

The one redeeming part : the dog, Snoop whose character is always loving, eager, and kind. This review lets you know how much of a sap I really am.