Studio: The Criterion Collection
Release Date: 5/28/2024
Rating: R
Film Grade: B
The Story: Author Sandra Voyter is being interviewed in her home by a student journalist, but it isn’t going well. Shortly after the discussion starts, her husband cranks up the PA speaker in the attic, making conversation all but impossible. The two agree to reschedule it at a later time, perhaps the student’s home would be more conductive to the interview?
A short time later, Daniel, the couple’s son, takes his dog out for a leisurely walk through the mountain trails. He returns to find the lifeless body of his father lying on the snowy ground with a large patch of blood spilled from a gaping head wound. Was it an accident? Murder? Suicide?
My Take: Part mystery, part courtroom production, the movie is primarily a character study of Sandra, Daniel, and deceased husband, Samuel. There have been some problems in the marriage that come to light as the story plays out, some handled nonchalantly others revealed in dramatically embarrassing ways. There are parts of this movie that are uncomfortable to watch just because of how deep they cut.
This is largely due to the performances. Sandra Hüller throws herself into the role, holding nothing back. This isn’t a cardboard cutout character, but one that has complicated facets that are slowly and carefully laid out as the story unfolds. Likewise, Milo Machado-Graner gives us one of the better child performances we’ve seen in a while. Daniel goes through a lot here, dealing with partial blindness, the loss of his father, and struggling with the idea of his mother being a murderer. The part could have easily devolved into melodrama, but never crosses that line.
Director Justine Triet, who cowrote the story with her partner Arthur Harari, coaxes natural performances from the rest of the cast as well. My small knock on the story is that we might have benefited with a little more focus on the supporting characters, giving the story some more depth. In particular, Vincent, family friend and attorney for the defense, who we could have seen a little more of at the end.
American viewers will find the French courtroom setting a bit odd. While I can’t vouch for its realism, the procedure is different than what we’re accustomed to seeing. It was another element that added some freshness to the story, although it wouldn’t have the same effect for a French audience.
Let’s talk about language and subtitles. Much of the film is in English, which is explained in the story. Sandra is German but isn’t fluent in French. Samuel is French and doesn’t speak German. As a compromise, the couple decided to speak English, and that’s actually a point of contention between them. For the audience, that means a mixture of spoken English and English subtitles. I thought it worked remarkably well.
Video: Featuring lots of hand-held shots, the movie was captured digitally, with the goal of emulating 35mm film. That means a good amount of digital grain that often looks like noise. It’s not distracting, but an intentional choice by the director and cinematographer. It does add to the personal and intimate nature of the story, rather than presenting a cold and detailed vision.
Audio: The disc comes with a 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that works fine. Dialog is always understandable (at least the English parts for this viewer). The PA speaker blaring throughout the house sounds like a PA speaker blaring throughout the house. Beyond that there aren’t many sound effects to make note of. Dialog is the emphasis here.
Special Features: - New interview with director Justine Triet
- Deleted and alternate scenes with commentary by Triet
- Audition footage of actors Milo Machado Graner and Antoine Reinartz and rehearsal footage of Machado Graner and actor Sandra Hüller
- Short program about the dog who plays Snoop, featuring trainer Laura Martin
- Trailer
- PLUS: An essay by critic Alexandra Schwartz
Final Verdict: Winner of the 2023 Palme d’Or and the 2024 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, it’s easy to see why this was a critical favorite. Eschewing spectacle and scope and concentrating on complex characters in a dramatic courtroom setting, it’s an involving and engrossing watch.
The two-and-half-hour runtime may scare some folks off; while not slow, it does take it’s time to carefully lay out the events and revelations of the story. That makes it tough to recommend. We were glad we watched it, but I don’t think it will make it to our library. Due to the subject matter, it would be a difficult watch with friends with less than perfect marriages. It’s not exactly a fun movie, so finding the motive to rewatch it would be tough as well.
If you do like character studies, don’t mind reading some subtitles, and are OK with a slightly ambiguous ending, I’d say to go ahead and check this one out. The performances themselves are worth watching.
Fun Fact: Even the family’s dog got an award for this movie. Messi won the coveted Palm Dog award for a small, but pivotal performance as Snoop. Watch the feature in the extras to learn more about his training.
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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