Did she do it? Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall pushes the boundaries of what a movie about a murder can do. This fresh take, executed with precision storytelling, won the biggest prize at the Cannes Film Festival this past May, launching it into the Oscars conversation. It is now out in theaters and will likely stream on Hulu after its theatrical run. In this episode of The Long Take Review, P.T., Antonio, and I work through what we saw in the film, unpack its themes, and draw connections to the teaching of writing. We were lucky Antonio joined us for this one, as he is a lawyer who teaches legal writing.

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Movie News Check-In: Quick reviews of Netflix’s Fair Play and M3GAN. Our reaction to the American Fiction trailer and The Bikeriders delay. 4:00

The Short Take: Our general impressions of Anatomy of a Fall. (Spoiler-free.) 10:32

The Recommendation Algorithm: Who should see this film? To what extent does this film defy certain genre expectations? (Spoiler-free.) 17:25

The Rhetorical Situation: How does this film remind us of teaching rhetoric and argumentation? How should writers/filmmakers and readers/viewers approach complexity and ambiguity? Antonio treats us to “Legal Corner,” in which he compares the French and American legal systems. (Spoiler-free.) 28:29

SPOILER MODE Did she do it? We offer our theories about what really happened, discuss what this film has to say about truth, and contemplate the power of constructing narratives. 48:43

Oscars Watch Whose takes will be overruled in a court of Oscars? France did not select this film for its Oscar bid. Does that make it more or less likely to get nominations? In which categories could this film get nominated? 1:40:46

Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

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