Did the controversial German writer Sandra push her French husband off the balcony, or was it an accident or something else? With little direct evidence, the public prosecutor delves deep into the lives of the couple and puts their son Daniel on the spot to testify. But what really happened? And will we ever know the truth?
Genre: crime, drama, thriller
Language: French, English, German, subtitles: English
During the past year, Sandra, a German writer, her French husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether he fell or was killed. Samuel’s death is treated as suspicious, presumed murder, and Sandra becomes the prime suspect. Gradually, the trial becomes not just an investigation into the circumstances of Samuel’s death, but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel’s troubled relationship.
In this Hitchcockian procedural thriller, director Justine Triet creates a complex and fascinating heroine, questions common beliefs about relationships, and leaves you wondering about the reliability of memory and the truth behind the appearance of each character. This film makes you pay attention to every little detail. But as you try to figure out the puzzle, new pieces keep popping up.
Awards
Winner of the Palme d’Or (Justine Triet) at Cannes Film Festival.
Reviews
“Part true crime legal thriller and part family drama, Triet's Palme d'Or winner is a thrilling story about perception, truth, and ambition.” Collider
“It’s an immensely enjoyable, idiosyncratic entertainment.” The Film Stage
“Triet’s piercing film holds the ambient tensions and illogical loose ends of domestic life against the harsh and rational light of a legal system that searches for order in chaos.” IndieWire
Ticket information
This film will be shown at Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos. Buying a ticket online in advance is mandatory if you want to attend this film. You can buy a ticket by clicking on the black “order” button on this page.
Please note: you can only buy a ticket online; tickets cannot be purchased with cash or bank card at the ticket counter.
For more general information about tickets, refund policies, etc., please click here.
Please be on time
The screening of the film starts at 19:30 sharp (no pre-film movie trailers) and the cinema hall opens at 19:10. We kindly ask you to be at the ticket counter at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the film. This is to ensure the film starts and ends on time.
The Studium Generale film program is selected in collaboration with the Student Film Committee and Natlab.