You would expect a courtroom drama to be built around damning pieces of evidence, passionate speeches, or certain social issues lending weight to the investigation. But what makes Justine Triet's Palme d'Or-winning Anatomy of a Fall so remarkable is how direct it is. Triet doesn't treat this case like a puzzle for the audience to participate in solving; instead she fashions this trial into a portrait of a family being eroded by even just the suggestion of distrust. It ultimately has far less to do with who's responsible for the death of a man, and more to do with the challenge of facing the reality that the people we love are capable of being cruel and callous to others. Which isn't to say that Anatomy of a Fall doesn't still possess qualities that make it a great courtroom drama—doubt only continues to pile up with every new piece of information that's revealed to the audience, until we begin to interpret characters' expressions and actions in a contradictory ways. But the way Triet executes these reveals is just so skillful, choosing precisely how to let details slip and obscuring everything behind faulty memory, intentional dishonesty, or any other obstacles that usually come up during an investigation.

In another year once again stacked with worthy potential Best Actress winners, Sandra Hüller deserves to be remembered as one of 2023's best performers. Her work here is unbelievably convincing and lived-in, as she almost actively rejects playing her character in a way that might look dramatic for drama's sake. You feel every bit of her frustration and embarrassment. And no one is better at receiving Hüller's performance and making it even more meaningful than young Milo Machado-Graner, who plays Sandra's son. Watching his world shatter around him is genuinely heartbreaking, and it's through him that the full weight of this tragedy can be felt.