Anatomy of a Fall Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Anatomy of a Fall Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 29, 2024

Justine Triet's "Anatomy of a Fall" (2023) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with Justine Triet; alternate and deleted scenes; behind the scenes footage with Messi the dog; original trailer; and more. In French, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It is very telling that Anatomy of a Fall won the Palme d’Or award because today its relevance is a lot like that of the Oscars. Decades ago, the Palme d’Or award was handed to such iconic films as La Dolce Vita, The Leopard, Apocalypse Now, and Paris, Texas, and they are absolutely impossible to compare to Anatomy of a Fall.

High up in the mountains near Grenoble, Sandra (Sandra Huller), her husband, and their teenage son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), have found a piece of paradise. They have moved into a modest yet incredibly beautiful chalet and their nearest neighbors are several miles away. Sandra and her husbands are writers, while Daniel has all the free time in the world to play with his dog and explore the area. From afar, one would find it impossible not to describe them as the perfect family living a perfect life.

But on a perfect day, the lucky family and their way of life are shattered. Shortly after Sandra is interviewed by a visiting journalist wanting to know more about her new book, Daniel returns home from a long walk with his dog and discovers his father lying in front of the chalet with a bloodied head. When the police arrive, the corpse is removed and then promptly transported to a nearby hospital, where soon after several medical specialists begin examining it to determine the likely cause of death. Meanwhile, local detectives launch an investigation and start examining the chalet, questioning Sandra, and eventually the visibly overwhelmed Daniel. A lawyer (Swann Arlaud) representing Sandra arrives at the chalet and begins working with her to prepare the best possible defense, too.

But the more information the detectives and the lawyer gather, the more it begins to look like Sandra may have had several legitimate reasons to kill her husband, so she is officially named a murder suspect. Not too long after that, an order is issued to separate Sandra and Daniel, and then a highly publicized trial begins.

Sometime after the trial begins and bits of supposedly important information are revealed, a secondary character declares that the truth cannot always be as exciting as one wants it to be. As odd as it may sound, this statement, despite being taken out of context, perfectly sums up Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. Indeed, despite being hyped by many different critics and viewers as an exciting and illuminating new film, Anatomy of a Fall is neither exciting nor illuminating. Indeed, it is an average film at best and arguably one of the most underwhelming picks to ever win the once prestigious Palme d’Or award.

The narrative is structured as a mosaic of uneven segments that focus on the legal proceedings and past events from Sandra’s relationship with her dead husband. Certain aspects of the legal proceedings could be of some interest to a non-French viewer comparing the French legal system to a different one, but most of the material from the courtroom is instantly forgettable. The past events from Sandra’s relationship with her dead husband do not help Anatomy of a Fall become a suspenseful whodunit. Rather, they are repeatedly rearranged by Sandra and Daniel to reveal that, at least as defined by the French legal system, the truth can be extremely flexible.

The total running time of Anatomy of a Fall is 151 minutes, which makes it quite difficult to endure because a lot of material repeatedly emphasizes the same points, and there are lingering shots that do not accomplish anything of substance. Triet wraps up the drama without a clear resolution, so one is left to assemble a version of the truth that makes the most sense as the final credits appear.

Dog lovers are guaranteed to fall in love with Snoop, Daniel’s best friend, whose performance is spectacular. There is one heartbreaking sequence where the furry actor is intentionally poisoned that looks so real it is hard to believe it is entirely staged.

Anatomy of a Fall Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Anatomy of a Fall arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The entire film looks outstanding in high-definition, which of course is hardly surprising considering that it was released theatrically last year. Obviously, the short segments with the taped material reveal obvious drops in definition, clarity, and depth. Colors are very natural and wonderfully balanced, as they should be. Image stability is excellent. While viewing the film on my system, I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

Anatomy of a Fall Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with large portions of English). Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided.

The film does not have an elaborate music score. All meaningful dynamic contrasts are created by repetitive use of a popular piano theme and organic sounds and noises, which means that they are very, very modest. All dialog is very clear, clean, stable, and easy to follow. While viewing the film, I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Anatomy of a Fall Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Justine Triet - in this new program, Justine Triet discusses her background as a documentarian and the production of Anatomy of a Fall. The program was produced for Criterion in 2024. In French, with English subtitles. (26 min).

• Alternate and Deleted Scenes - presented here are several alternate and deleted scenes that can ve viewed with an introduction by Justine Trier. In French, with English subtitles. (34 min).
  
  1. The Psychic
  2. The Reunion
  3. The Argument
  4. The Restaurant
  5. Vincent and Sandra

• Auditions - presented in French with English subtitles. (8 min).
  
  1. Milo Machado Garner
  2. Mile Machado Garner Callback
  3. Antoine Reinartz

• Rehearsals - in preparation for the role of Daniel, Milo Machado Graner spent three months rehearsing with casting director and codirector of actors Cynthia Arra. This 2023 piece follows Machado Graner as he trains with actor Sandra Huller and Messi, the dog that plays Snoop. In French, with English subtitles. (27 min).

• Behind the Scenes with Snoop - in this program, animal coach Laura Martin discusses how she prepared the dog Messi for his role as Snoop in Anatomy of a Fall. In French, with English subtitles. (9 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original U.S. trailer for Anatomy of a Fall. In French and English, with English subtitles. (3 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Alexandra Schwartz's essay "Seeing and Believing" and technical credits.

Anatomy of a Fall Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is it a murder or suicide? If it is the former, who is the killer? For approximately thirty minutes, it feels like Anatomy of a Fall is itching to become a terrific whodunit, which is what virtually all mainstream critics have argued it is. But if you believe them and prepare yourself to see such an engrossing film, I guarantee you will have a very disappointing experience with Anatomy of a Fall. Justine Triet is far more interested in examining the strengths and weaknesses of the French legal system, and for well over two hours she does precisely that, but her work is unfocused and ultimately underwhelming. Criterion's Blu-ray release offers a solid technical presentation of Anatomy of a Fall.