Is the boy in Anatomy of a Fall blind in real life? 

Milo Machado Graner impressed fans and critics with his performance in Anatomy of a Fall, which premiered in theaters in the US on October 13, 2023. The legal drama features the actor as Daniel, an 11-year-old who lost his eyesight in an accident. Garner bagged the role even though he is sighted in real life.

Anatomy of a Fall centers on a novelist as she tries to prove her innocence after her husband dies under mysterious circumstances.

According to IMDb, its synopsis reads:

"A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness."

The film is directed by Justine Triet, best known for her work on In Bed with Victoria and Sybil. Additionally, she co-wrote the screenplay for Anatomy of a Fall with Arthur Harari. Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion are its producers.

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Why Milo Machado Graner was chosen to play a blind character

Justine Triet initially wanted to cast a visually challenged actor as Daniel. However, she decided to audition sighted children as well after she failed to find the right actor for the role. This opened the doors for Graner to audition for the part. Unfortunately, Triet rejected him as she wanted a blond actor for the part.

The director eventually changed her mind after Harari asked her to listen to Graner's audition tape. In an interview with The Wrap, She loved his voice and asked for a callback. Triet said that she liked his voice as he didn’t ‘sound like a little kid’.

“The way that Milo was talking was different. It didn’t sound like a little kid, and I really liked that about him,” she added.

In the same interview, the director revealed that he transformed into the character in 10 seconds and enacted a complex emotional scene with ease.

“He had tears all over his face, really. And in that moment I asked him to say the lines of his character at the end of the movie, which no one had really done perfectly for me before," she said.

She further added this reminded her of Henry Thomas’ audition for E.T (1982), which compelled Steven Spielberg to cast him in his science-fiction film.

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Anatomy of a Fall: Meet the cast

The film features Sandra Hüller in the role of Sandra Voyter and Swann Arlaud as Vincent Renzi. Hüller earned international recognition with her work in the historical drama The Zone of Interest and Netflix’s Munich: The Edge of War. Her film credits also include Sibyl, Sisi and I and Proxima.

Meanwhile, Arlaud is best known for his work in Romantics Anonymous, By God’s Grace, Bloody Milk, and Les Anarchistes. Beyond his work in films, he has also appeared on shows such as Les Bleus, Central Nuit, and Paris,

They are joined by Graner as Daniel, the visually-challenged sole ‘witness’ in a criminal case. He previously appeared in Waiting for Bojangles and Stuck Together. He has also made a name on television with Therapy and Heureusement qu'on s'a.

The cast also includes

• Antoine Reinartz as a prosecutor
• Samuel Theis as Samuel Maleski
• Jehnny Beth as Marge Berger
• Saadia Bentaieb as Nour
• Sophie Fillières as Monica

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Anatomy of a Fall, which has secured multiple Oscar nominations, was released in theaters on October 13, 2023. It is now available to rent and buy on Amazon Prime Video and Vudu.