Anatomy of a Fall | 2023 | R | – 2.4.6

Why is “Anatomy of a Fall” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “some language, sexual references and violent images.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes non-sexual nudity, a dead body with bloody wounds, reenactments of possible causes of a man’s death, a dog being drugged, a couple of bitter arguments, discussions of ambition and disappointment, and about 13 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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A woman (Sandra Hüller) is suspected of having killed her husband when their young son (Milo Machado Graner) finds him dead on the ground below a room he was renovating. During the ensuing trial, she has to convince a jury that he was miserable and probably took his own life. Also with Swann Arlaud, Antoine Reinartz, Samuel Theis, Jehnny Beth and Saadia Bentaïeb. Directed by Justine Triet. Most lines of dialogue are spoken in French and German with English subtitles. [Running Time: 2:31]

Anatomy of a Fall SEX/NUDITY 2

 – A man touches a woman’s face tenderly and they hug. A woman touches a man’s face.
► We hear that a woman had an affair with another woman during her marriage to a man.
► A nude man’s body is seen in a morgue and his bare chest, abdomen, back and buttocks are shown. A young boy showers and we see his bare shoulders and back. A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage.

Anatomy of a Fall VIOLENCE/GORE 4

 – A man lies dead on the ground with blood pooled in the snow around his head; his young son finds him and calls for his mother who comes to find the body and calls emergency responders. A man’s body is seen in a morgue and we see a deep gash in his scalp. A young boy feeds a dog several aspirins and we see the dog lying motionless later; the boy panics and a woman gives the dog salt water to make it vomit (we see goo) and the dog eventually recovers.
► A reenactment is shown with a human-sized dummy falling from a window and crashing into a shed roof before landing on the ground. A computer animation illustrates how a person could have been struck in the head with a blunt object, causing blood to splatter on a wall. A woman has a bruise on her arm and a photograph of it is shown as evidence.
► Several possible causes of a man’s fall to his death are shared in a courtroom. We hear an audio recording of a bitter argument between a man and a woman that includes yelling, breaking glass and the sounds of slaps or punches. A man plays very loud music while a woman is trying to conduct an interview and must end the session because of the noise.
► A man tells his young son that their dog will die one day. A man and a woman argue bitterly and the man accuses the woman of castrating him by not allowing him to pursue a writing career. A man accuses a woman of stealing a storyline that he wrote. Several remarks are made about a young boy’s “accident” that damaged his optic nerve and left him visually impaired; we hear that he was struck by a motorcycle. A woman talks about employing a psychic to help a young boy deal with his grief.
► A young boy cries and won’t get out of bed to eat after the death of his father. A woman cries. A woman discusses a man having passed out drunk and vomited and that it looked like he might have also taken some pills (we see a puddle of goo with white specks in it).

Anatomy of a Fall LANGUAGE 6

 – About 13 F-words, 10 scatological terms, name-calling (ridiculous, absurd, strange, ashamed, naïve, amoral, coward, failure, cold-hearted, fantasy, supposition, lost, lonely, stupid, victim, monster, insane, insane, rotten luck, cynical), exclamations (stop it, calm down). | profanity glossary |

Anatomy of a Fall SUBSTANCE USE

 – We hear that a man took antidepressants, and a young boy feeds a dog several aspirins (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). Two women drink wine while talking in one woman’s home, a woman drinks a glass of something that is likely liquor, a woman discusses a man having passed out drunk and vomited and that it looked like he might have also taken some pills, a man drinks a glass of wine, a character says that he needs a drink, people drink shots of liquor in a bar and appear inebriated, and a man and a woman drink beers. A woman smokes a cigarette outside a house in several scenes, a man smokes a cigarette in a house and blows the smoke out an open window, a man and a woman smoke cigarettes, and a character says that she needs a smoke.

Anatomy of a Fall DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Guilt, truth, depression, suicide, murder, grief, psychics, impartiality, the law, expectations, despair, self-esteem, fear of failure, reciprocity, anxiety, blame, resentment, doubt, misogyny, jealousy, infidelity, ambition, judgment, a writer’s life.

Anatomy of a Fall MESSAGE

 – The truth is often elusive, especially when people who live together are fundamentally unhappy.