autopsy of a French success in the world

Not selected by the committee in charge of choosing France’s representative at the Oscars, the film nevertheless conquered the whole world. A critical and public success, he has accumulated international distinctions and nominations.

More than 23 million euros generated at the worldwide box office for a release, to date, in more than thirty territories including Mongolia, a first in this country for a French film at MK2 Films in charge of sales to the international. Anatomy of a fall East “one of the best feature films of the year in terms of box office for an arthouse film”assures Franceinfo Culture Fionnuala Jamison, the director of MK2 films. As of January 5, it brought together more than 1.3 million spectators in France and nearly 1.6 million abroad. Apart from American blockbusters, she specifies, “It is one of the best-selling films in theaters anywhere in the world. It is sold everywhere, even in Mongolia. We had never done it before.”The feature film was purchased in total for “155 territories” including Sri Lanka, Kuwait and Belize considered as “rare” at MK2 Films.

Great harvest of nominations

Accumulating superlatives, Anatomy of a fall by Justine Triet is the French film that will have made the most headlines abroad in 2023 and will continue to do so. However, he does not represent his country at the Oscars. The commission in charge of the selection preferred The Passion of Dodin Bouffant by Tran Anh Hung. Justine Triet’s speech in Cannes, after receiving the Palme d’Or where she notably denounced the pension reform initiated by the government, caused controversy. Many people wonder about the link between the incident and the fact that his film is not France’s candidate for the Oscars. Triet’s work nevertheless has a serious chance of being present at the high mass of world cinema if we stick to the predictions which are increasingly favorable to it in several categories.

The recent American awards, the latest being that of the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, where the legal thriller took home the prize for best international film, bodes well. The choices of the New York Film Critics Circle, which brings together critics whose media are based in the city, often prove to be an excellent indicator for the Oscars, recalls Variety. Added to this are the film’s four nominations at the Golden Globes (best dramatic film, best foreign language film, best screenplay and best actress for German actress Sandra Hüller), the ceremony of which will be held on January 7 in Los Angeles. The BAFTAs, the equivalent of the Césars in the United Kingdom, have also published the first list of their nominations and Anatomy of a fall totals seven so far. A great harvest for a film which is not eligible in all categories.

A film that pleases critics and audiences

When it comes to cinema, tastes may differ, but moviegoers generally agree on the essentials. The awards and nominations that recognize the same works from one country to another have borne witness to this for years. The journey ofAnatomy of a fall is a new illustration of this. At the European Film Awards, the feature film won six awards: best film, direction, editing, screenplay, best actress and the European University Film Award awarded by European students. Justine Triet’s work has already won, apart from its Palme d’Or, more than ten international distinctions and as many nominations. Furthermore, Anatomy of a shushHe is not only praised by critics, he is also acclaimed by spectators. This observation also applies to France.

“Operated in 22 markets [zones géographiques]it crosses the symbolic threshold of 1 million tickets sold abroad”, specified a press release from Unifrance published in December which recalled thatAnatomy of a fall came at the top of the French films most seen abroad for the past period. “New moviegoers in North America” and successful launches in Germany, the United Kingdom and even Spain, indicates Unifrance, before concluding: “Without a doubt, Anatomy of a fall will maintain his status as tricolor ambassador in the months to come.”his performance is rare for a Palme d’Or. How did this French film achieve unanimous approval?

French paradox

“It’s a film that speaks to everyone, among other things, because it deals with tensions within the couple. Furthermore, the axis through which Justine Triet approaches this relationship is unprecedented in cinema. We have never seen that. Her approach is hyper modern: it’s the woman who has the last word. We don’t often see this type of female character in cinema, that is to say that of a woman who is not in compromise. She goes through with her convictions and she does nothing to please. It’s a woman who is in the hot seat, it’s a woman’s trial, and there is suspense and emotion, especially with this child who finds himself in the middle of all this”, Fionnuala Jamison, director of MK2 Films, explains to franceinfo Culture.

An analysis shared by Gilles Renouard, the director of cinema at Unifrance, the institution which promotes the seventh French art abroad. “It’s an extremely complex film, with a very clever and intelligent script, which talks about the couple, the relationship between parents and children, power relations… In addition, it’s a trial film full of suspense: he is very good. The underlying reasons for his success abroad are the same as those for his success in France. What affects abroad is what affects in France.” Moreover, “the Palme d’Or highlighted it and it’s a feature film which has played in many international festivals, more than thirty. It’s a film which is also supported by the press who love it a lot. We see it in the tops of the year. It appears, for example, in that of the British dailye The Guardian. President Obama mentioned it in his favorite films of 2023. It works on very effective word of mouth.”

In addition, underlines the director of cinema at Unifrance, “the distributors, who bought the film mainly at Cannes, very much believe in it. This matters in movie launches. We see this in particular for the American career Anatomy of a fall. It is one of the biggest successes for a French-language film in years. It’s about $3.5 million and it’s still in theaters. We are at 350,000 spectators. The distributor gradually installed it to reach 600 rooms. He’s going to keep it until the Oscars. The film is not France’s candidate, but it will be presented in other categories because it has chances. The feature film is also followed internationally by Justine Triet, who travels a lot. She was, for example, in the United States for a very long time and she is going to return there. She accompanies the film as much as possible. Just like Sandra Hüller when she can.”

The French paradox, which is that of not having relied on a film with so many advantages, was raised when it was rewarded in recent months. At the beginning of December, it was in Berlin after the coronation at the European Film Awards that Justine Triet tried to explain, while searching for words, this incongruity for observers. “It’s a decision by France…” she said in a video published by Deadline, before being interrupted by Sandra Hüller with her permission. “This is not France’s decision. It’s that of five people on this committee.” specified the actress with the approval of the director, emphasizing that the French public had welcomed the Palme d’Or. In all cases, “we don’t make films for that [les récompenses et autres distinctions]”, concluded Justine Triet.

The French filmmaker reminded us of this again recently in the United States, at the beginning of January, during the New York Film Critics Circle gala. She added, by responding to IndieWire, that she had received a nice Christmas present by seeing her film on Barack Obama’s list. For her, the chapter is closed.

The choice of the former American leader closes a political loop. Justine Triet’s speech and the controversy were political and it was Barack Obama, who had become a leading cultural influencer and film producer, who expressed his admiration for the French film. QED.