Saint Omer

"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.

I have to start by saying as I was left the theater, I was pretty certain I did not like this movie. The acting was impeccable, but there were many long scenes of people sitting and thinking and it caused me to lose focus. But after leaving and reflecting on the story - and more importantly the facts of the real-life court case - it stuck with me. This movie has clear philosophical aspirations and asks the viewer to think about the limits of the present criminal justice system.

It would represent a failure of imagination to not be able to think of at least a couple reasons that a perpetrator may be justified for such a heinous act. Maybe the mother was coerced in some way (blackmail or threat of violence); or maybe it was an internal force like a psychotic delusion. All of which could - while not fully absolving her of guilt - lessen the immorality of the act. But what if the explanation were not something rational? Her explanation to the mystified judge is that sorcery was responsible and while that explanation may not make sense in the context of a western judicial system - it also does not mean she is entirely unjustified.

What happens to a solitary life that resulting from an unfair hand dealt to them? A life that in turn, echos affecting others? Are we truly better off locking them and sending them away? Or should we be bringing them in?

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.

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.

Rama (Kayije Kagame), a Parisian of Senegalese heritage, is a literature professor and novelist. For a writing assignment, she travels to the French municipality of Saint-Omer to observe the infanticide trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a Senegalese immigrant. (Rama is the on-screen surrogate for director/co-writer Alice Diop who observed the real-life infanticide trial of Fabienne Kabou in 2016.)

Diop is very astute at creating tension in various scenes. This is especially so during an interrogation scene between the judge (Valérie Dréville) and the defendant early in the film. This scene is relatively long but Malanda and Dréville play it so perfectly that it becomes riveting rather than dull.

The character of the defendant is an enigma: at times, one can feel sympathy for her despite so much evidence against her. Her backstory is also fascinating regarding the pressures placed on her as a girl in Senegal whose mother demanded much of her regarding education choices and politeness all with the plans of Laurence having "a better life". Rama's response to the trial is also intriguing as she has trouble digesting noticeable similarities she has with the defendant.

The cast is superb in this film. In addition to Kagame, Malanda, and Dréville, there are also notable performances from Xavier Maly (Laurence's partner), Aurélia Petit (the defense attorney), and Salimata Kamate (Laurence's mother).

There are some loose ends in the film including the relationship between Rama and her mother but overall "Saint Omer" is one of the best courtroom dramas since the Israeli film "Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem" which was released in 2014. - dbamateurcritic

RATING: 9 out of 10

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Acting Ensemble.