Revealed 10 years ago thanks to The Battle of Solferino, her first fiction feature, Justine Triet is again selected in the official competition, four years after Sibyl. Anatomy of a Fall is aptly titled. Indeed, the story essentially consists of trying to recreate the circumstances of the fatal fall that a man had after having defended himself from the upper floor of the house he occupies with his family not far from Grenoble.
But the fall, we will learn over the elements revealed throughout this fascinating drama, is also that of the couple he formed with his wife of German origin (Sandra Hüller). Over the course of the expected investigation during which we try to shed light on the mystery surrounding the death of the man (accident, suicide, murder?) There is thus added a study of the dynamics of a couple whose relationship could sometimes be tumultuous.
Focused on the investigation in the first part to then turn into a trial film, Anatomy of a Fall takes a classic approach to leave plenty of room for the plot and the acting of the actors, all excellent, particularly Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdman). The latter was also from Sibyl, the previous feature film by Justine Triet.
Winner in 2019 of the Un Certain Regard prize thanks to The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, Karim Aïnouz is for the first time in the running for the Palme d’Or. The Brazilian filmmaker offers this time a historical drama set in the English court when Henry VIII, played by Jude Law, lives there his last years.
Thus, the main character of Firebrand (The Queen’s Game) is Catherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), the sixth and last wife of the British monarch. Appointed regent by her husband while he was campaigning in France, Catherine Parr, a convinced reformer, took the opportunity to think about modernizing the kingdom.
The story is also built around intrigues that can easily earn the queen accusations of treason from a king who, seriously ill on his return, is about to leave this world. The merit of this “costume film”, whose production is very well cared for, lies in this way of evoking the story through a character less studied in the books.
Alicia Vikander, winner of an Oscar thanks to The Danish Girl in 2016, offers a remarkable performance. That said, the whole thing remains on the well-marked terrain of the classic film. What will the jury think?
