Saint Omer

The difference between passing judgement and serving justice is at the heart of this incredibly moving film. Laying open social issues surrounding isolation, education, assimilation, and culture, whilst taking them apart word by word is beautiful to watch. And extremely emotional to experience. With restraint and very few words, the story of two seemingly connected Senegalese women living in France cross roads with the mythical Medea in a tragic tale of loss. The actors are powerful and I found myself engrossed watching the film even more the second time around. This one is not for the faint hearted.

"Saint Omer" is a powerful and thought-provoking film directed by accomplished documentary filmmaker Alice Diop. The film is based on the true story of Fabienne Kabou, a French-Senegalese woman accused of killing her infant daughter and leaving her to drown on a beach. Diop has created a film that leaves the audience with more questions than answers, but it is this approach that allows the film to resonate with anxieties and the undertow of subterranean influence. The film stars Kayije Kagame as Rama, a novelist and professor who is drawn to attend the trial, and Guslagie Malanga as Laurence, the accused woman in the dock. The film's cinematography by Claire Mathon is stunning, and the performances by the lead actors are outstanding. "Saint Omer" is a film that will stay with you long after you've left the theater.

Saint Omer is a 2022 French legal drama film directed by Alice Diop and starring Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanda. It is based on the true story of Fabienne Kabou, a mother who left her 15-month-old daughter on a beach to be drowned by the tide in 2013. The film follows Rama (Kagame), a pregnant novelist who attends the trial of Laurence Coly (Malanda), the fictionalized version of Kabou, to write a modern adaptation of the ancient Greek myth of Medea, who killed her children to punish her unfaithful husband.

Saint Omer is a powerful and nuanced exploration of the complex issues of motherhood, immigration, identity, and justice. Diop, known for her documentaries, brings a realistic and empathetic approach to the story, avoiding sensationalism and judgment. She also attended the real trial of Kabou in 2016, which inspired her to make the film. The film does not attempt to justify or condemn Coly's actions but rather to understand her motivations and circumstances.

The story is divided into two parts: the first one focuses on Rama's perspective as she observes the trial and interviews Coly in prison, while the second one shifts to Coly's flashback as she recounts her life in France and Senegal, her relationship with her partner and daughter, and her mental state leading up to the crime. The film contrasts Rama and Coly to highlight their similarities and differences as women of Senegalese origin living in France. Both face racism, sexism, isolation, and pressure from their families and society but have different privileges, opportunities, and choices.

The movie also draws parallels between Coly's story and the Medea myth, showing how both women are driven by love, betrayal, anger, and despair to commit an unthinkable act. The film uses references to Medea throughout, such as the names of the characters (Rama is an anagram of Mara, Medea's sister), the locations (Berck is similar to Corinth, where Medea killed her children), and the dialogue (Coly quotes lines from Euripides' play). The film also shows how Rama uses the myth to cope with her fears and doubts about becoming a mother.

Saint-Omer features excellent performances from the two lead actresses, who convey a range of emotions with subtlety and intensity. Kagame portrays Rama as a smart, ambitious woman who is also vulnerable and conflicted. Malanda portrays Coly as a tragic and complex figure who elicits sympathy and horror. The film also has a strong technical aspect, with beautiful cinematography by Claire Mathon (who also shot Portrait of a Lady on Fire), an atmospheric score by Thibault Deboaisne, and tight editing by Amrita David.

The one thing that undermines the greatness of Saint-Omer is the pacing. The first time I watched the film, I found the pacing unbearable. But, I decided to see it a second time, embraced the slowness, and found I was noticing aspects of the story I had missed the first time. I think, though, that the pacing will be a challenge for some viewers.

Saint Omer is a film that challenges us to think beyond the headlines and stereotypes and confront our biases and assumptions. The film raises questions without giving easy answers and invites empathy without condoning violence. It is a film that shows how art can be a way to deal with trauma and pain and how it can be insufficient or inadequate. It is a film that was with me long after it ended - the second time around.

Alice Diop and her cast are truly amazing... In previous work (Vers la tendresse), she managed to capture some of the emotional struggles of young French men with a migratory background and living in economically deprived Parisian suburbs. In Saint Omer, she focuses on the emotional struggles of women from a similar background. This is the story of two daughters, Rama and Laurence. Rama is a symbol of the French meritocratic system. From a modest background and of African descent, she is a university professor and a successful novelist. We understand that her mother, probably a cleaning lady, used to leave home very early to go to work. Laurence, a former student in philosophy, passionate about Wittgenstein, "never wanted for anything". With the financial support of her parents, she emigrated from Senegal as a young adult to study in France. Laurence is being tried for killing her 15-month-old daughter and Rama is attending her trial. As she listens to Laurence, her chldhood, her relationship with her parents, and in particular her mom, Rama is brought to reflect and feel about her relationship with her own mother. Laurence and Rama are two highly assimilated women, materially standing on the sore shoulders of their respective mothers, and who have achieved a level of social success that is often denied to men from similar communities. And yet, deep down, both of them suffer from the (perceived?) lack of warmth and love of their mothers, with terrible consequences for Laurence and her relationship with her own daughter.

This is a story about parental love, and in particular between emotionally struggling mothers and their unseen daughters. It's not specific to any community or economic background. What, to me, makes it a true masterpiece, is the compassion we are left feeling for all these women.

In a court room in Saint Omer a lady's tried, it's quite bizarre just what she's done, the reasons why, as she's questioned by the beak, the facts and reasons she doth seek, as to why a baby girl was drowned and died. The defendant makes the case that there's a curse, that's been administered by someone who'a averse, to the things that she has done, the way she's lived under the sun, it's intriguing but it's also quite perverse. In the stalls a woman listens with intent, the story of a life, the way that it's been bent, finds too many parallels, in the tale that she sells, and it causes her some confusing lament.

It's a curious piece of filmmaking based on real events, events that are perhaps more relatable to the filmmaker than anyone else, but it's a fascinating watch and might introduce you to the ways of the French legal system, some Greek mythology and/or the conditioning that some people undergo (intentional or otherwise) that can result in the most extreme of outcomes.