Sandra Hüller’s Best Performances: ‘Anatomy of a Fall,’ ‘The Zone of Interest,’ and More

Wilson Chapman
·2-min read

2023 featured many breakout performances, from Charles Melton in “May December” to Cailee Spaeny in “Priscilla.” But nobody had a bigger breakout year than Sandra Hüller, who went from an acclaimed German actor to an international sensation thanks to two huge films.

At last May’s Cannes Film Festival, Hüller was the toast of the Croisette thanks to her performances in two of the most acclaimed film premieres. In Jonathan Glazer’s experimental “The Zone of Interest,” she’s remarkably (and admirably) unsympathetic as Hedwig Hoss, the wife of Auschwitz Concentration Camp leader Rudolph Hoss. And in a very different film, “Anatomy of a Fall” from director Justine Triet, she’s heartbreakingly sympathetic as an author forced to dig into the ugly dysfunction of her marriage when she’s charged with murder after her husband’s mysterious death. Both films together, plus a Palme D’Or win, brought significant attention to Hüller, and she became one of the big contenders of the 2023 Oscars season. Some campaigning payed off with a Best Actress nomination, and Hüller became the only non-American actor in the race.

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Hüller was already a known quantity before the one-two Cannes punch this year. In 2016, she received critical acclaim and numerous honors for her role in “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade’s cringe comedy about the complicated relationship between a workaholic daughter and her bizarre prankster father. But “Anatomy of a Fall” and it’s big juicy central role helped Hüller go from a recognizable name for hardcore cinephiles to a recognizable name for all moviegoers, and promises good things to come for the German actor. And deservedly so; in her relatively limited list of films that have made it to the United States, Hüller has proven to be a fascinating screen presence, with a talent for playing icy and professional woman with warmer and more complicated depths than they let on. There’s nobody currently working today who can play the parts she does with as much subtlety and precision, and the worst thing about her body of work is there isn’t enough of it.

In celebration of Hüller’s Oscar nomination, we decided to take a look at the talented star’s past performances to determine which stand out from the pack. We focused on films that are available in the United States, so several of her credits in French and German films are excluded. Projects are ranked according to the quality of Hüller’s performance, rather than the quality of the film in itself. With that said, read on for IndieWire’s list of Sandra Hüller’s five best performances to date.

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