Movie Review

Riveting French film Anatomy of a Fall is not your usual whodunit

The majority of filmmakers like to give their viewers concrete answers, especially when it comes to stories involving a crime. But that is not the approach taken in Anatomy of a Fall, a riveting new film from French writer/director Justine Triet.

Right from the start, Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari play with perspective in sussing out the death of Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis), who’s found dead from a head wound outside his French chalet by his blind son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), and his wife, Sandra (Sandra Hüller).

Despite being in the house at the time of Samuel's fall from somewhere in the house’s upper stories, Sandra claims no knowledge of what happened to him. Authorities are skeptical of her ignorance, and charge her with murder. Represented by her friend/lawyer Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud) at the trial, Sandra continues to proclaim her innocence, and the prosecution does their best to pick apart her story, even putting Daniel on the stand.

At no point in the film’s 152-minute running time do Triet and Harari tip the scales in favor of one point of view over another. Instead, the film lives fully up its title, fully examining the circumstances leading up to Samuel’s death, as well as the somewhat turbulent life the family of three led. The film begins with Sandra being interviewed about her work as a writer, a seemingly benign scene that takes on extreme importance as the film goes along (a deafening steel drum version of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.,” of all things, plays a crucial part).

While the accident/crime is what the story revolves around, much of what makes the movie so interesting is that Triet only deals in the aftermath and, occasionally, flashbacks to before the incident. That and multiple other aspects are subject to lots of speculation in court, but it’s the lack of clarity that keeps the viewer engaged. In one of the film’s best scenes, we are shown most of an argument between Samuel and Sandra that exists only in audio form for those in the court, but when things become truly heated, Triet goes back to the court for audio only, leaving everyone just guessing as to what actually happened in that room.

Other small details color and enrich the story. While both Samuel and Sandra are writers, Sandra’s success – perhaps at the expense of Samuel – causes a rift. Daniel going blind following him being hit by a motorcycle has also been a source of strain. But one aspect unique to this family and setting is the use of different languages. Samuel is French and Sandra is German, but they mostly use English with Daniel, and Sandra using English in court raises the ire of the French officials.

The acting in the film is also top-notch. Hüller plays her character in such a way that she can be read as both conniving and completely honest, a paradox that suits the story perfectly. Graner pulls off a tricky part very well, showing a skill level beyond his years. The courtroom scenes pop thanks to the performances of Arlaud and Antoine Reinartz, each of whom makes their case seem plausible.

Anatomy of a Fall is not so much a whodunit, but a deep dive into how and why such a thing ever happened in the first place. It’s a great family drama, a great courtroom movie, and a great film overall, and deserves to be on the list of the best of the year.

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Anatomy of a Fall opens in select theaters on October 27.

$Samuel Theis, Sandra H\u00fcller, and Milo Machado Graner in Anatomy of a Fall$

Photo courtesy of Neon

Samuel Theis, Sandra Hüller, and Milo Machado Graner in Anatomy of a Fall.

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Movie Review

Safe cracking is a snap for White Lotus alum Leo Woodall in Tuner

Photo courtesy of Black Bear

Leo Woodall in Tuner.

Of all the ways that movies depict people trying to steal money and other valuables, safe cracking is among the least exciting. By design, it’s a laborious process that only those with a very certain set of skills can do. While clever editing and the right music can enhance scenes of safes being cracked, there’s a reason that the method is among the least used in heist films.

In the new film Tuner, Niki (Leo Woodall) has a job and a condition that just happens to lend itself well to committing that specific crime. He works as an apprentice piano tuner for Harry (Dustin Hoffman), usually doing the hard work while Harry schmoozes the client. Niki is well-suited for the job because he has a rare condition called hyperacusis, which makes him both sensitive to loud noises and able to hear subtle things that others cannot.

When he runs across a trio of criminals trying to break open a safe at a house where he’s tuning a piano, he helps them more out of frustration than avarice. But when Harry goes into the hospital and racks up huge bills, Niki decides to join the group to make some quick money. They soon want more than he’s willing to give, and he must find a way to extricate himself from them without losing himself completely.

Written and directed by documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher (making his narrative feature debut) and co-written by Robert Ramsey, the film has a nice pace to it despite there being relatively little action. Roher and Ramsey spend the first third or so establishing Niki, Harry, and Harry’s wife Marla (Tovah Feldshuh) as characters, letting the audience understand their relationships and how they interact with each other.

The time they devote to the personal storytelling pays dividends when Niki starts to descend into crime, as his divided loyalties - not to mention the danger of the thefts - insert tension into the plot. That stress is heightened even more when Niki starts a relationship with piano student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), as getting closer to her necessitates a series of lies.

There comes a point, though, where the plot stagnates to a degree. Niki’s end goal, if he has one, is never clear, and it’s obvious that it’s only a matter of time before things start to fall apart. After starting strong in their character development, Roher and Ramsey take shortcuts as the film rushes toward its conclusion. This is most notable in a weird argument scene between Niki and Ruthie that comes out of nowhere and seems to serve no purpose in the story.

Woodall, who had a memorable turn in season 2 of The White Lotus, is on the cusp of breaking out, and this understated-but-compelling lead role should help him become an even bigger name in Hollywood. Hoffman has a small role, but he remains as interesting as ever despite the lack of screentime. Liu (Bottoms) is also an up-and-coming actor who should become a star with more roles like this one.

Tuner is a low-key thriller that succeeds because of the way the filmmakers approach the under-used method of robbery. Even if it doesn’t quite reach its potential, the film maintains a high quality throughout thanks to its storytelling and acting.

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Tuner is now playing in theaters.

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