Why France snubbed "Anatomy of a Fall" for the Oscars

Recently, France surprised the cinematic world by selecting “La passion du Dodin Bouffant” instead of “Anatomie d’une chute” to represent them at the Oscars. Considering that Justine Triet's film has garnered 15 awards so far (including prestigious ones like the Cannes Palme d’Or) and has received praise from both professionals and the public, everyone was convinced that France would choose this film to compete for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. But why did France snub such a potentially successful film? Various reasons have been speculated. Firstly, the decision could be political. During the César ceremony, Justine Triet openly criticized the Macron government, blaming its handling of the yellow vests crisis. This highly publicized intervention might have been a factor in the film's non-selection. Knowing that the CNC, the organization responsible for selecting the Oscar film, is funded by the government, a causal link could be observed.

Another reason put forward is based on the cultural aspect. “Anatomie d'une chute” is a bilingual film, featuring dialogues in both French and English. In contrast, "La passion du Dodin Bouffant", a film that tells the love story of a 19th-century chef, relies entirely on French. Moreover, French gastronomy, deeply rooted in the country's cultural identity, is central to the plot. This film screams 100% French. The choice to prioritize a film more in line with French culture could explain the preference for "La passion du Dodin Bouffant". Even though the latter has only counted 230,000 admissions compared to 1,300,000 for Triet's film. However, some see this exclusion as a blessing in disguise. In fact, films selected in the “Best Foreign Film Oscar” category cannot compete in other categories such as Best Film, Best Screenplay, or Best Director.

Therefore, this exclusion could potentially allow “Anatomie d’une Chute” to be in contention for other categories, offering even greater recognition within the international film industry. Although it would be challenging to compete directly with American films, we recall the historic victory of “Parasite”, a South Korean film that won the Best Film Oscar, becoming the first non-English language film to achieve this feat. Could “Anatomie d’une Chute” become the second foreign language film to conquer this recognition? Finally, the decision not to submit "Anatomie d'une chute" to the Oscars has sparked a media scandal, not only in France but also in the United States. This unexpected resonance has generated additional buzz around the film, drawing attention to it unexpectedly. The media impact of the scandal could ultimately result in increased visibility for the film, making this non-nomination for the Oscars an unintentional but effective promotional strategy. Speculations will continue until March 10, the official Oscar ceremony date.