Ah, ambiguity. It sometimes works–as it does in 2010’s Inception–but it was a little unsatisfying for me in Anatomy of a Fall, a story in which a woman named Sandra is accused of killing her husband. Sandra is also the mother of an adolescent son (Daniel) who is visually impaired–and potentially holding onto some information regarding his father’s death. Although Daniel’s disability is important to the film’s plot, it is unfortunately not given the priority that would heighten the conflict’s tension. I wanted the Hitchcockian feel of a Rear Window, but I didn’t get that. Furthermore, since this movie is a whodunit of sorts, I was mostly interested in finding out who done it. Spoiler alert: I didn’t find out.

Why This Film Might Win Best Picture:

First, I think Anatomy of a Fall will win an Oscar for Writing (Original Screenplay). Winning the Writing Oscar doesn’t guarantee a film will also win BP–in fact, it sometimes seems as if the Writing awards are almost consolation prizes for movies that don’t win BP. However, we rarely see a film only win BP, so competing for/winning other (and bigger) awards definitely helps propel a film into the forefront of Academy voters’ minds.

On the one hand, Anatomy of a Fall is interesting from a writing standpoint because, technically, this is a French film that is only partly in French and also partly in German and English. It uses these various languages very smoothly and believably, and it has some thought-provoking things to say about language itself and its power to convey ideas, connect/disconnect people, etc.

On the other hand, this film’s script–pieced together in its small multitude of languages– comments on the universal topic of women and how they are treated differently than men (i.e., stereotyped) and held to different standards. In this respect, it shares some similar points with another of this year’s BP nominees, Barbie, although the two films approach this hot-button Hollywood topic quite differently.

Why This Film Might Not Win Best Picture

In a whodunnit, people want closure. Maybe we don’t fully understand all the details and motivations involved in a crime, but we want to know who committed the crime and why. Anatomy of a Fall doesn’t give us either of those pieces of info. And while I appreciate the use of various languages in the film, the extra effort I put in to read the subtitles while paying attention to the film’s visual elements didn’t seem to be rewarded because of the lack of clarity at the end of the movie.

One last item to consider is that Anatomy of a Fall is this year’s winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Palme d’Or winners don’t usually win BP. However, 2019’s Parasite, the last Palme d’Or winner to also win BP, reminds us (Americans) that a film can tell a great story in a non-English language and still be great. The problem for Anatomy of a Fall is that it fails to replicate Parasite‘s thoughtful and satisfying ambiguity.