October Movie Pick: 'Anatomy of a Fall'

European cinema is evolving and finally receiving the well-deserved recognition. Sandra Hüller plays a significant part in this, injecting fresh, fresh, fresh blood into the aging corpse of cinema with her roles in 'Anatomy of a Fall' and 'Zone of Interest.' At the last Oscars, even Hüller's dog Messi, a French Border Collie, was celebrated. He could have swept the awards if there were categories for animal actors in film, whether drama or comedy. His incredible portrayal of Snoop, the overdosing dog, which I finally saw after so much buzz in the media, proved that European cinema is not dead but rather experiencing a renaissance never seen before. For a while, it seemed like only America had murder cases and trials that shook nations—OJ Simpson, the Menendez brothers, Dahmer—so it was refreshing to see the mystery return to the old continent, portrayed in a more realistic, raw style. I loved the entire movie. I waited so long to find the right time, and finally, thanks to Amazon Prime and my hard work learning German, I fully immersed myself in this case.

Spoilers 

I'm still thinking about the movie. It's so well-constructed that it lets you form your own opinion based on facts, memories, recordings, connections, and conflicts, right up until the end. Even now, I feel it could go either way. There were certain creative choices that pointed in one direction, like when Sandra's son listens to the painful court case about his father's fate, and we see an image of his parents fighting. Was this his mind being influenced by the case, or was it a memory? No other scene was presented in such a subjective light. As the story progressed, we learned that the son's judgment couldn’t be fully trusted, suggesting he might not be a reliable witness, or worse, that he was covering for his mother. Later in the movie, we see him watching shows on TV, discussing his mother's trial, her character, her book, and her struggles, all while under the care of a court-appointed guardian tasked with protecting him from outside influence. Afterward, he suddenly "recalls" a memory of his father talking about the dog, but when the father speaks, he lip-syncs to the voice of Daniel. The blind witness who lost his father and fears losing his mother. In that memory, or story, there’s no recording to provide objective truth—the only witness presented the event through his perspective. Even the recording of one of the movie's most fascinating scenes—the argument—was questioned by everyone in court, as each person interpreted the audio differently, proving how unreliable it was as evidence. That scene, where Sandra and Samuel fight the day before his death, is one of the most authentic dialogues I’ve ever seen. It was brutal to hear their raw inner thoughts laid bare, which often happens when two people know each other for so long that they become transparent to each other. I understood both of them, but Sandra was the one who survived, and I felt that, while what she said was true, it may have pushed him over the edge without her even touching him. Samuel was almost at his breaking point, and if she didn’t kill him like the court tried to prove, or he didn’t fall by accident, this argument was what drove him to finish the task. But how responsible are we for the actions of others? The realism here, contrasted with every Hollywood murder case, made this movie an avalanche of emotions. When Snoop was overdosing, that was some serious acting. I hugged my dog, waiting for the horrible scene to end, and I would’ve kicked the TV if the scene had gone differently. An incredible film with astonishing performances and realism. Seeing Sandra cry in the car, quoting that famous line twisted by her perception—how much better it is to cry in a car than on a subway—and then collapsing under the pressure with tears in her eyes almost made me cry too. On several occasions, I had to hold back tears, especially when Snoop the Dog suffered because of the pills Daniel gave him.

I know I’m late to post about this movie, but I’m so glad I watched it. Incredible work by everyone involved. Sandra Hüller's performance is now cemented in my mind as one of my favorites, and while she lost to another favorite of mine, Emma Stone in 'Poor Things,' which is another movie you should go watch right now, being associated with the Oscars, this movie, and that performance itself is the biggest award anyone could receive. Of course, having a dog actor is no easy feat, but that, I believe, is yet another accolade for Hüller. What comes next for her? The premiere of her next project is set for March 20, 2026—Project Hail Mary, a sci-fi adventure based on the novel of the same name by Andy Weir. Weir is also responsible for The Martian, one of the standout films in this genre with Matt Damon. Sandra will venture into space again, this time alongside Ryan Gosling, who is set to play the lead in the upcoming movie adaptation. But what about Messi?

Iliya Badev