week of truth in perspective for director Justine Triet

A public and critical success, this French film which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May 2023, could make a breakthrough at the Oscars, the nominations of which will be revealed on Tuesday. The next day, the César nominations will be announced and “Anatomy of a Fall” should feature prominently.

French cinema holds its breath for the film Anatomy of a fall by Justine Triet who is about to experience a decisive week on both sides of the Atlantic. The 2023 Palme d’Or, which goes from success to success, could make a breakthrough in the Oscar nominations and should dominate those for the César. On Tuesday, the Oscar Academy must publish from Los Angeles the list of films nominated in the different categories, followed the next day by its little French sister, the César Academy.

2h32 long, this film traces the trial of a woman accused of having killed her husband, with the couple’s visually impaired boy and their dog as the only witnesses. Icy and fallible at the same time, the German actress Sandra Hüller is unforgettable as the accused, as is the child with the inscrutable face, the young actor Milo Machado-Graner.

A scent of revenge in the event of an Oscar nomination

Any Oscar nomination would have a taste of revenge for Justine Triet. Because if it is a public and critical success internationally, the feature film was snubbed to represent France in favor of The Passion of Dodin Bouffant, a historical romance between two foodies. A choice of commission of professionals brought together by the National Cinema Center (CNC) which caused controversy.

Many observers believe that she was made to pay for her intervention at the Cannes podium when she received the Palme d’Or. She took the opportunity to criticize the government, in the midst of pension reform, and to defend independent cinema in the face of liberalism. Without the cultural exception, “I won’t be here today“, she said when receiving the most coveted prize in the 7th art.

However, Anatomy of a fall can now boast an exceptional career. Nominated seven times for the British Bafta, winner of two Golden Globes (best screenplay and best foreign language film) and crowned best foreign film at the Critics Choice Awards in Hollywood, he is on the rise. If we add the fact that the legal thriller appears on former American President Barack Obama’s list of films of the year, there is still hope. Including that of marking the history of the Oscars, eleven years after the triumph of The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius with Jean Dujardin.

Justine Triet can dream a nomination for the Oscar for best actress, best original screenplay, or even creating a surprise in the best film category, generally dominated by American productions.

The Caesar suspense takes over on Wednesday

Whatever the result of these nominations, the night will be short for the film team, who will be watching for the César nominations on Wednesday morning, revealed at 10:00 a.m. Justine Triet’s film should feature prominently in the votes of the 4,705 film professionals who make up the Academy. They will have will have one month to vote, before the ceremony is held on February 23 at the Olympia, in Paris, chaired by Valérie Lemercier.

Last year, the results of the votes caused a stir: no film by a female director was nominated in the “best director” category. Tonie Marshall remains the only director in the history of French cinema to have been crowned, for Venus Beauty (institute)…in 2000. Will Justine Triet become, at 45, the second?