Anatomy of a Fall: Everything to Know About the French Courtroom Drama Up for 5 Oscars

Anatomy of a Fall is competing at the 2024 Oscars in five categories.

The French courtroom drama is up for Best Picture at the 96th annual Academy Awards. Plus, its star Sandra Hüller scored a Best Actress nomination. (She also stars in fellow Best Picture nominee The Zone of Interest.)

Additionally, director/co-writer Justine Triet is nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and the film is also up for Best Editing.

Triet told The Hollywood Reporter after the nominations, "... For best director, I was surprised because there are no more women beside me. So, of course, I’m so, so lucky and very proud of all these things." (Triet marks the ninth time a woman is nominated for Best Director.)

"Most of these people since I was a child I’ve admired so much, and of course to be involved in this history, it means a lot for me. It was not a dream because I could not imagine," she added.

Read on for everything to know about Anatomy of a Fall, including how you can watch it prior to the 96th annual Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 10.

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Who is in the 'Anatomy of a Fall' cast?

German actress Sandra Hüller (known for 2016's Toni Erdmann) earned a Best Actress nomination for the film. She's in the lead role as Sandra Voyter, an author on trial over the suspicious death of her husband Samuel, played by Samuel Theis. Their son Daniel (breakout child star Milo Machado Graner) plays an integral role in the court proceedings.

Swann Arlaud stars as Sandra's attorney, and Antoine Reinartz is the prosecutor.

Hüller told Variety of building her fictional character: "I think I wanted to create somebody who would be capable of doing it, I wanted certain people to be a little bit afraid of her. Because why do we always have to be sweet and good victims and all these things? I had a little fun in leaving it in a dark."

What is 'Anatomy of a Fall' about?

In the fictional story, Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) is a famous German novelist who is on trial in France, accused of pushing her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) to his death at their secluded, snowy home.

Their 11-year-old son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) is caught in the middle of the grueling court case and media spectacle while also grieving his father.

Triet told The Guardian she wanted to make something "very French" with Anatomy of a Fall, and she "wanted to dive deep into the question of the couple, but through the perspective of the justice system."

She told NPR that the characters have stayed in her psyche throughout the creative process and ever since.

"We have to live with the monsters we create. And I've been living with these people for three years, and I think I'll probably live with them for at least another year," she said.

"When one starts as a filmmaker, it's not something that we necessarily conceive of — the way that one's obsessions and fears and anxieties need to speak directly to things that are in our core that concern us and interpolate as directly because then we're going to have to live with them."

Where can I watch 'Anatomy of a Fall'?

The film is currently playing in select theaters. Anatomy of a Fall is also available to rent and own on digital. It's rated R for "some language, sexual references and violent images."