Sandra Hüller (“Toni Erdmann,” 2016) headlines the cast of writer-director Justine Triet‘s (“Victoria;” Eng. Title: “In Bed with Victoria,” 2016) fourth narrative-fiction feature film “Anatomie D’Une Chute” (Eng. Title: “Anatomy of a Fall“). 

In the movie, Hüller plays novelist Sandra Voyter, whose husband Samuel Maleski’s (Samuel Theis; “Nos Futurs;” Eng. Title: “Our Futures,” 2015) death under mysterious circumstances puts her squarely in the middle of a possible murder investigation in which she’s suspect zero. Sandra’s only possible silver linings come from her lawyer friend Vincent (Swann Arlaud; “Grâce à Dieu;” Eng. Title: “By the Grace of God,” 2019) who takes on her case and the testimony of her blind son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner; “8 Rue de l’Humanité;” Eng. Title: “Stuck Together,” 2021), who’s the sole witness to the events leading up to the death.

Spanning 2 hours and 32 minutes, “Anatomy of a Fall” blends together some fine whodunit to enrich the legal drama subgenre of which its narrative is a significant part. That sense of mystery plays perfectly against its storytelling’s consistent focus on Voyter as a person more than a suspect. Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari (“Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle,” 2021) drip-feed the tension into the narrative, turning many of its scenes from calm to overwhelming claustrophobia—and there’s no better example than the film’s opening.

Picture a silent, rustic house on a cold winter morning; apart from the slight breeze, you can only hear two women talking. Sandra is hosting a student interviewing her for an (undisclosed to the audience) assignment. A minute into the scene, the mostly comfortable silence is punctured by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band’s instrumental cover of rapper 50 Cent‘s “P. I. M. P.” Just when you think the music fades out, it starts all over again, almost like an assault on your senses while you’re trying to focus on the failed conversation between her and the interviewer, Zoé (Camille Rutherford; “La Fille de Son Père;” Eng. Title: “No Love Lost,” 2023). 

(Possibly unrelated fun fact: Daniel’s guide dog is named Snoop, which is a funny coincidence considering 50 Cent whipped out a remix of “P. I. M. P.” with Snoop Dogg. This factoid is irrelevant to the review; I just wanted to make it known).

Only when Daniel takes Snoop on a walk do you realize how much a simple environmental storytelling decision has contributed to the overall immersion of “Anatomy of a Fall.” There’s a certain sense of relief seeing this otherwise mundane act of walking through a snowed-down mountainside because we’re taken away from the din indoors—so much so that when he walks back home, and the sound of the blaring speakers becomes progressively louder, we’re already prepped for more aural stress. We’re not prepped for how far the movie will dial it up in the following moments.

These stylistic storytelling decisions make Triet’s film all the more compelling, turning the drama into one that feels like a mystery thriller. Pair that with an incredible leading turn from Hüller, and you’ve got yourself an intoxicatingly told, phenomenally acted drama that does not let go. Graner is excellent as Daniel and comes the closest to stealing the protagonist’s shine in the film’s final act. Arlaud, Theis, and Jehnny Beth (“Astrakan,” 2022) are fantastic, with the lattermost shining in her role as Marge, the temporary court-appointed guardian with a sense of empathy and respect for boundaries.

“Anatomy of a Fall” works perfectly as a legal drama-thriller with its mystery as its narrative’s key component, but there’s a lot more that thematically drives the film. Nothing’s as binary as the prosecutors trying to hold Sandra responsible so desperately want it to be—whether it’s the domestic disarray of her marital relationship or an underscore of regret and resentment, the film unpacks a lot in the most matter-of-fact way possible. An absolute must-watch.