Unraveling the Mystery of Samuel's Death in Anatomy of a Fall

The Mysterious Death of Samuel

At the end of Anatomy of a Fall, Sandra is acquitted, although the facts of the case still aren't entirely clear, making the true cause of Samuel's death ambiguous.

Anatomy of a Fall Samuel Body Shed

Anatomy of a Fall is a legal drama from French director Justine Triet, featuring performances from Sandra H\u00fcller, Swann Arlaud, Samuel Theis, Milo Machado Graner, and more. The film has garnered significant attention, winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival and receiving multiple nominations at the 2024 Golden Globes.

Anatomy of a Fall Sandra Huller Video Tape

The Enigmatic Testimonies of Daniel

After the mysterious death of her husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis), Sandra Voyter (Sandra H\u00fcller) becomes the prime suspect. Sandra's best defense is to claim Samuel died by suicide, which even she tells her lawyer, Vincent (Swann Arlaud) is implausible at first.

Anatomy of a Fall Sandra Huller Testifies Court

When an audio recording revealed in court proves she was also covering up evidence of domestic turmoil, her son, Daniel's last-second addition to his testimony is the only thing that gets her off the hook.

Anatomy of a Fall Sandra Huller Phones Daniel

Initially, Daniel said he heard Sandra and Samuel having a casual conversation as he walked past the shed to walk the dog, Snoop. He was positive he was standing next to the shed because of the texture of the tape Samuel put there for him to identify the location. When the investigators tried to recreate the scenario to determine how loud Sandra and Samuel had to be talking to match his story, Samuel suddenly changed his testimony to say he was inside the front door.

Anatomy of a Fall Daniel Milo Machado Graner First Testimony

Daniel says his memories returned to him again at the last second, providing a new testimony about Snoop eating aspirin from Samuel's vomit to back up Sandra's claim of an alleged suicide attempt.

Anatomy of a Fall Daniel Milo Machado Graner Snoop Dog Aspirin

The Complexities of Sandra's Acquittal

The audio recording Samuel makes of his fight with Sandra is one of the most damning pieces of evidence against her, especially since she tried to cover up the fact that they fought at all, but its very existence calls other factors into question.

Anatomy of a Fall Samuel Theis Argument Recording

After Sandra is acquitted, she goes to dinner with Vincent and says she feels weird because there's normally a reward for winning. While avoiding a conviction is certainly a form of reward for her, if she's innocent then she's now left to process Samuel's suicide for the first time.

Anatomy of a Fall Sandra Huller Hugs Vincent Restaurant

Unfortunately, there's no clean explanation for what truly happened to Samuel, and while Sandra may have certainty of her own guilt or innocence, it may not be possible for anyone else, including Daniel, to ever truly trust her version of events.

Anatomy of a Fall Ending Sandra Snoop Dog