César 2024: The expected and brilliant triumph of Justine Triet

With 6 trophies, including best film, direction, screenplay and actress, Anatomy of a Fall stands out in an evening where almost all of the favorites held their place.

A remontada-style triumph. In the duel which pitted him against the other big favorite for the 2024 Césars, The Animal Kingdom (record holder for nominations of the evening, 12 on the clock), Anatomy of a fall initially had a tricky start to the evening, where the trophies seemed to elude him. But once the technical awards were collected by Thomas Cailley’s film (costumes, sound, photography, visual effects, music), the steamroller set into motion with a gluttony that was a pleasure to see and hear. Editing then supporting actor (where Swann Arlaud triumphed over his comrade Antoine Reinartz), screenplay, actress (Sandra Hüller) and direction, only the second trophy in this category won by a woman in 49 years of ceremonies, 24 years after Tonie Marshall For Venus beauty. Before the César for best film was awarded, the tie was perfect. 5 Caesar on one side, 5 on the other. But like last year, Dominik Moll with The Night of the 12thJustine Triet succeeded in the directing-film double and therefore emerged as the big winner of the evening, two weeks before flying our colors high at the Oscars

This success symbolizes the domination of films written or directed by women in this 2024 list. I will always see your faces by Jeanne Herry (second female role for Adèle Exarchopoulos) thus avenged for having unfairly left empty-handed for Pupil in 2019 to Love and the forests (best adaptation for the duo Valérie Donzelli- Audrey Diwan) via Olfa’s Daughters in best documentary, Marguerite’s Theorem which allows to Ella Rumpf to win the César for female revelation or even Linda wants chicken co-directed by Chiara Malta in the very competitive race for the César for best animated film.

But this success ofAnatomy of a fall also symbolizes a prize list which gave pride of place to the favorites and left little room for surprises, also like Arieh Worthalter who seemed unbeatable this year for his composition as Pierre Goldman in front of the camera of Cédric Kahn or Dog of the breakage by Jean-Baptiste Durand for best first feature film. And if we except Raphaël Quenard, certainly a sacred masculine revelation for the same Dog of the breakage but which many announced on the way to a double or even a historic triple (he was also nominated for best actor for Yannick and short documentary film) and the absence of criticism against the Minister of Culture (a first for… how long already?), the only real, totally unexpected moment was offered to us by the foreign film category where, in the manner of Four weddings and a funeral overpowering Schindler’s List despite the presence of Steven Spielberg in the room in 95, Simple like Sylvain stood out against the Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan, who left – with the exception of his honorary César – empty-handed as if Inception (defeated by Social network) and Dunkirk (overwhelmed by lack of love). Here again, the victory of a director (Monia Chokri and her Simple as Sylvain whose happiness was a great pleasure to see). These 2024 Césars – which will be remembered first and foremost for the strong, lucid, implacable speaking of Judith Godrèche – were undeniably a women’s affair. Who will complain about it?