I can think of precious few movies from the last 10 years that I get excited about watching again for work. "Anatomy of a Fall" is one of them. Every time I re-watch it, I notice something new, both delightful and heartbreaking in equal measure. It's an intelligent thriller where a suspicious death puts a marriage under a microscope, hushed arguments of fights past hashed out in court while their young son watches on.
"Anatomy of a Fall" is about to leave Netflix this week on Sept. 23, so I have an excuse to yap about this Oscar winning that starts as a psychological thriller and ends with a courtroom drama for the history books. If you haven't seen it yet, it's definitely worth a watch before it leaves one of the best streaming services. Netflix got hundreds of new movies in September, but as always, it means we're saying goodbye to other great ones on our watchlist. So while it's still on Netflix, don't miss "Anatomy of a Fall."
Still not convinced? I hear ya. Who wants to waste their precious streaming time with a dud? Here's everything you need to know about why "Anatomy of a Fall" deserves a spot on your watchlist.
What is 'Anatomy of a Fall' about?
The title breaks things down splendidly. If a husband falls to his death after a fight with his wife, who's to say it wasn't murder? That's the premise of Justine Triet's Palme d'Or- and Oscar-winning movie, "Anatomy of a Fall."
It's the kind of film where you quickly realize you must choose whose word to trust. But really, who is telling the truth doesn’t matter as much as how their stories make you feel. A cast impeccably led by Sandra Hüller in the performance of a lifetime, that you inevitably grow to root for.
"You must never lie to yourself," a mother tells her son, played by Milo Machado-Graner, a genuine talent beyond his years. His father, the equal parts conniving and charming Swann Arlaud, winds up dead. Suicide? Or defenestration? (Please indulge me, I rarely get the chance to use the word.)
Let me set the scene with the movie's iconic opening sequence. A younger woman (a student?) records an interview with an older woman while an objectively sick saxophone instrumental spoils the gay panic clear on display. It's hilarious both with and without context, and sets the tone exquisitely.
Stream 'Anatomy of a Fall' on Netflix now
Sometimes a movie doesn’t have to do anything more than execute a simple premise well. I said the same thing of “Obsession." The setting is scrumptious — the a-frame attic of my dreams on a snowy mountain cabin. In a weird way, it makes "Anatomy of a Fall" a perfect summer send-off in these Unprecedented Times. It's hard to explain exactly without spoiling the steady drip of discovery at the heart of this film, so if I'm being annoyingly vague, I apologize. I will continue to be.
"Anatomy of a Fall" is spectacle in a glorious sense. It'll hypnotize you in the way films were once known for; the kind where you'd look up at the clock and realize an afternoon's disappeared. The meatier themes give eagle-eyed viewers plenty to gnaw on as you get lost in Triet, Hüller, and the rest of these movie magic scientists breaking down the anatomy of a fall again, and again, and again.
Also, this is purely self-indulgent, but shout-out to Antoine Reinartz for the French Phoenix Wright impression I didn't know I needed. I love it when a side character completely kills a role, and this man had me obsessed.
So check out "Anatomy of a Fall" on Netflix before it's gone. Pro tip: If you miss that Sept. 23 deadline, there's another place you can stream it. All you'll need to do is sign up for a Kanopy account for free with a public library card or university login. Kanopy's library is stacked with over 30,000 movies, TV shows, and educational videos, and like the rest of the best streaming platforms, it's constantly rotating its stock. That includes some newer releases on Kanopy too, like 2022's "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" and "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Watch "Anatomy of a Fall" on Netflix
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