Netflix adds Oscar-winning legal thriller with near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score

Netflix has added yet another beloved film to its massive catalogue.

The streamer, who only recently added Tom Hardy’s newest action thriller Havoc, released another new film yesterday in the UK.

This time though it added an Oscar-winning thriller with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.

Winning Best Original Screenplay, it was also nominated for a further four awards at the Oscars, notably getting a nomination for Best Picture, losing out to Oppenheimer.

The film in question is Anatomy of a Fall, a French legal thriller directed by Justine Triet.

Added to Netflix yesterday, it received a score of 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as an impressive average of 7.6/10 on IMDb.

Check out the trailer below:

The story follows a woman whose husband is found in the snow next their villa having seemingly fallen from the top floor window.

The thriller is a dramatic legal battle where the viewer is never clear whether he jumped or whether his wife killed him.

Anatomy of a Fall stars Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, Samual Theis, and Messi the dog, who won the Palm Dog award for best performance in a film by a dog at Cannes.

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter heaped praise on the film.

He said in his review: “An intricately layered, surgically controlled drama that operates as both a courtroom thriller and an investigation of the mysterious recesses of domestic life, the film is as chilly as its French Alpine setting yet never distancing.”

The film received five Oscar nominations (Le Pacte)

Meanwhile, Clarisse Loughey of The Independent said: “It’s hard not to be drawn in. That’s the trick of Anatomy of a Fall. Sandra is a fascinating, one-woman puzzle box, thanks largely to the strength of Hüller’s performance.”

Huller’s performance was particularly praised, with her winning several best actress awards, including at the European Film Awards.

One particularly interesting detail of her performance is that, in interviews since the release of the film, Huller has revealed that director Justine Triet never told her whether her character was innocent or not.

She said in an 2024 interview with Backstage magazine: “I want people to have the possibility to think everything about her according to their own moral standards or projections on relationships.

The film is highly regarded by critics and fans alike (Le Pacte)

“I obviously wanted to defend this character… but there was a moment [when] I thought, What if I believe her, and in the end, Justine [Triet suggests] the opposite through music or the editing?

“I was scared of the possibility. I asked her, and she said, ‘I’m not going to tell you, because I don’t know. Also, the film is not about that.’ And I didn’t know the truth.”

Fans too were full of praise for the film, with one comment on Reddit saying: “Have been watching this movie again and again and again. And the fight scene.. oh my! I just can't with all those emotions.

“Went up to the top of my fav movies immediately.”

Anatomy of a Fall is available to watch on Netflix now.