Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Anatomy of a Fall.
Sure, the Palme dOr is great and all, and this years Anatomy of a Fall certainly deserved it in all its glory, but its claiming of the top prize at this years Cannes Film Festival unfortunately overshadowed another incredible victory as a result: the Palm Dog! This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one whos seen the film, given that it features the best animal performance of the year, but for those who think that the worlds most prestigious film festival is full of nothing besides pretentious elitists itching to corner you into a discussion about their top five ric Rohmer movies, youre only half right! Yes, the Cannes Film Festival was the premiere home of Apichatpong Weerasethakuls Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, but it was also the premiere home of Shrek 2, which competed for the Palme dOr just the same!
This is indicative of the fact that these programmers are hardly the snobs that the festivals reputation makes them out to be and the Palm Dog is the greatest proof of that. The Palm Dog was founded by Toby Rose, in loving memory of his pooch Mutt, who attended several festivals throughout his life. Since its inception in 2001, past winners include Sayuri the pit bull who played Brandy in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Uggie the Jack Russel Terrier of The Artist. The prize has also gone to CGI monsters like the demonic fox of Lars von Triers Antichrist, or more popularly Dug from Up, but animated or not, Anatomy of a Falls Snoop (Messi, a border collie) boldly goes where no other animal performance has gone before.
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
Messi didnt just get by on his adorability in this one, even if thats another point thats hard to contest. Directed by Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall follows Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) and her son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner in a phenomenal child performance) after they discover the body of the familys patriarch Samuel (Samuel Theis), dead in the snow of their once-quaint Grenoble chalet. Soon after, Sandra herself comes under fire, becoming the prime suspect of Daniels potential murder after its discovered that he died from blunt force head trauma before hitting the snow. Sandra and Daniel are thus forced to uncover many deep and hidden truths about their familys dynamic in an attempt to make sense of Samuels sudden passing.
Anatomy of a Fall invigorates the courtroom drama in more ways than one, breathing new life into a genre thats given audiences some of the most heated dramatic encounters cinema has seen and asking some soul-crushing questions along the way. Like Otto Premingers similarly titled Anatomy of a Murder, Triets Anatomy of a Fall question the very notion of truth in the context of a legal battle where the truth matters less than a particular lawyers argument for or against the defendant. Sandra, a famous novelist, sees her life torn apart as every word shes ever written comes under ridiculous scrutiny and her son, still grieving over the death of his father, is forced to watch his mother attacked from every direction as he simultaneously digests some horribly uncomfortable truths about the man who raised him. With few friends (especially at a time like this), Daniels only comfort seems to be his guide dog Snoop, and to that effect, Snoop excels.
Lassie made you cry for her dedication to her best friend and Cujo made you reconsider whether you could be a cat-person instead, but whether its the reinforcement of childhood or the death of it, theres a reason that dogs in films tug on our heartstrings the way that they do. For affirmation, look no further than Puss in Boots: The Last Wishs Perrito (Harvey Guilln), whose origin story involves having been thrown into water inside a sock with a rock in it by his owners. And yet he still loves them! Dogs are the masters of unconditional love, the kind that us humans can only hope to ever embody for another person, which is why we crave their acceptance. In Anatomy of a Fall, Snoops love is tested on all fronts as he brings about a key discovery that builds into the court cases show-stopping climax.
While Sandra and Daniel initially resist the notion that Samuel committed suicide, it becomes increasingly clear throughout the court case that its the only viable alternative to his murder. As a result, Daniel (in isolation from his mother due to the fact that theyre not allowed to discuss the case outside of court) attempts to recreate his fathers loosely-remembered suspected suicide attempts. Daniel recalls the date that his mother gave for his fathers suicide attempt, claiming that he intentionally overdosed on aspirin, only to vomit the pills. Snoop, suspected of having eaten Samuels vomit that day (lets not forget that dogs can be pretty gross as well), subsequently fell ill, prompting Daniel to try and confirm the event by feeding Snoop aspirin. Big mistake.
How Triet accomplished the impossible for that scene will have the animal wranglers from Babe scratching their heads as to how she did it. When we see Snoop overdosed, he appears completely catatonic. Its not just that he lies still, but his tongue remains flapping out of his mouth while his eyes appear frozen in time. You can barely see the pooch breathing as he clings for life amidst Daniels panic, looking completely deceased in a painful manner that must have been as heart-wrenching to pull off on set as it is to watch. Hopefully, no method acting took place to achieve this devastating effect, but given Messis commitment in the role, youd be wrong to write off the possibility.
What makes Anatomy of a Fall such a brilliant courtroom drama is the fact that it focuses just as much on the effects that the trial has on the familys home life as it does the whip-smart repartee that we all love the genre for to begin with. As a result, Sandras emotional arc sees her shunned from the pieces in the family that remain, being forced to fight for reacceptance. Snoops role in that family counts for just as much as any other member, and Triet conveys that through incorporating him throughout. Its while walking Snoop that Daniel discovers his fathers dead body, brilliantly transforming a moment of childhood innocence into the worst day of that childs life, but more important is the films closing shot.
After Sandras eventual acquittal (in large part thanks to her sons highly dangerous experiment and testimony), she comments on the lack of relief shes felt as a result, contrary to her expectations. Of course, as vital as it was to win this one, the trial has dominated the defendants grieving period to the extent that now, over a year later, all she has to look forward to is a son to make amends with and a husband to mourn. Daniel accepts his mother back into the family with a sleep-ridden hug, but uncertainty looms as she descends her home for a night on the couch. To her elated surprise, Snoop jumps in and snuggles up next to her. Its a subtle way of marking her re-engagement with normalcy, and even if the trial will have undoubtedly scarred her public image, its through Snoop that we know that her relationship with her family has been mended for the time.
In accepting the enormously prestigious Palm Dog Award, Triet spoke to The Hollywood Reporter to drop some truth bombs: [Snoop] was not just another character or some animal running around [but] as much a part of the films ensemble as any of the other actors. Its hard to imagine that he had his own trailer, but Triets treatment of Snoop as a proper member of the family for whom it was important that Sandra make amends with when the smoke settled is the reason why his performance is so deeply effective. The Academy better be taking notes, as only upon recognizing this unsung facet of cinema will they ever amount to the prestige of the Cannes Film Festival.
Anatomy of a Fall is in cinemas now.
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'Anatomy of a Fall' Has the Best Animal Performance of the Year - Collider
Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith
