Saint Omer (2022)

[Jake Lipson]

Title: Saint Omer (2022)

Genre: Drama

Director: Alice Diop

Cast: Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Aurélia Petit, Valérie Dréville, Xavier Maly, Robert Cantarella, Salimata Kamate, Thomas De Pourquery

Release: 2022-11-23

Runtime: 123

Plot: A novelist attends the trial of a woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France. But as the trial continues, her own family history, doubts, and fears about motherhood are steadily dislodged as the life story of the accused is gradually revealed.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Has anyone else seen SAINT OMER yet?

This was France's official submission for the Best International Film Oscar. It made the shortlist in December but missed the cut for the final nominations. But I kept hearing good things about it. It is currently in a very limited theatrical release and can also be rented on digital platforms. Amazon has it for $5.99 as of this writing, so it isn't one of those high priced "premium in-theater" rentals. I went to see it and there were less than ten people there, but I'm really glad I did because this is a stunning film.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I haven't seen the actual nominees for Best International Film yet, so I can't compare them. But SAINT OMER is so great that I can't imagine I would rank five other films in the category higher than this one.

This is a heavy story and is definitely not for the faint of heart. But I found it staggering and am still processing it. Laurence Coly (played by Guslagie Malanda) has admitted to drowning her 15-month-old daughter but also claims she doesn't know why she did it. Rama (played by Kayije Kagame) is an author who travels to Saint Omer (hence the title) to attend the murder trial.

That is pretty much the entire premise, but there's a lot there in it. We watch the trial through Rama's eyes and see the intense impact it has on her. Both women give extraordinary performances. The courtroom drama, which makes up a substantial portion of the movie, is some of the most gripping I've ever seen on film. It is emotionally draining to watch and yet I couldn't look away.

I wasn't familiar with director Alice Diop before this, but I understand that this is her first narrative feature film after doing a bunch of documentaries. I wouldn't have known that unless I looked it up; she seems to have a very clear vision of what she wanted and doesn't falter. I never felt that the movie dragged at all. She grabbed me and didn't let go. I'm really excited to see what she will do next.

I am glad I got the chance to see this in a movie theater and would recommend it to anyone who is interested if you can find it. If it isn't playing near you, I don't think you would lose too much by renting it.

 

[Bernard McNair]

Really looking forward to this film, Jake. The NYT’s of several weekends ago had a good article on Alice Diop and the film. If memory serves it was critic’s pick.
Hopefully Saint Omer scores a cinema release in Australia if not I will have to purchase the Blu.
Glad that you found this a good film, I hope to see it soon.

 

[Jake Lipson]

if not I will have to purchase the Blu.

Although I found the film absorbing, I can't see myself wanting it to revisit it with frequency either. It's great but it is a really heavy watch. So while I wouldn't necessarily advise against purchasing it, especially if that is the only way for you to see it, it might not be something with a lot of replay value.

 

[JoeStemme]

SAINT OMER is now on Hulu.

In 2016, French Documentarian Alice Diop heard of the trial of a Senegalese immigrant accused of the murder of her infant. Diop, of Senegalee descent, became obsessed with the case and attended the hearings. In this fictionalized version, Diop's stand-in is Professor Rama (Kayije Kagame) and the accused is Laurence Coly (Guslagie Mulanda), a highly educated woman who found herself bearing the child of a white married Frenchman.

Diop's screenplay (which she collaborated on with three others) is framed from Rama's point of view. Not only is Rama Senegalese, but she is also in an interracial relationship, albeit a much more loving one. Both have issues with their mothers. The procedures of the French court system take some getting used to. Much of it resembles a deposition more than a traditional trial. It can be quite dry with a number of long monologues. With her Documentary background, Diop presents most of the proceedings quite directly with little in the way of mis en scene. Occassionally, the camera emphasis may not be where one expects, but there is very little variation. Fortunately, the case itself is quite interesting.

The performances are strong and there are some interesting themes about how post-pardum depression can seem almost like spiritualism and sorcery to other cultures. While the courtroom drama may never come to a boil, the underlying issues are worth exploriing. The final sequence plays out with just a pair of shots and good use of natural sounds. It's quietly incredibly powerful.


SAINT OMER is streaming on Hulu. It's also available to rent. It's on DVD and Blu Ray.