User reviews

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 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.

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.

A multilayered & morally ambiguous legal drama making a valiant attempt to look for humanity in the inhumane, Saint Omer is as empathetic as it is engrossing and offers an arresting insight into motherhood, generational trauma & immigrant experience through the observing eyes of a novelist attending the trial of a mother accused of murdering her 15-month old child.

Co-written & directed by Alice Diop in her feature film debut, the story is borrowed from a real-life court case and follows a woman who begins to interrogate herself after learning about the accused's upbringing, loneliness & pregnancy and its striking similarity to her own life journey. The courtroom proceedings are gripping and each new detail brings its own complexity to the mix.

The film takes an unbiased approach and provides ample breathing space for the defendant to plead her case, even managing to earn our sympathy for her despite her unforgivable act. Also notable is the static, concise camerawork that keeps the unfolding drama at the forefront at all times while convincing performances from its committed cast make sure that the story remains riveting throughout.

Overall, Saint Omer is handled with care, told with compassion and shot with sophistication to deliver a consistently captivating drama that continues to challenge our morality & perception from start to finish. An impressive debut feature for the French documentarian that works best when allowed to simmer for a while, this French courtroom drama isn't an easy sit but is worth your time. Definitely recommended.

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.

This paints a clear picture of how commonly forced social norms and cultural barriers can largely effect people leading to deplorable acts of violence, almost like a curse that cannot be broken.

I loved what this film presented, a well written, acted and precise story that delivers an interesting broken individual filled with misery. I just wish there was a bit more going on overall with its shot composition, which does the job nicely but in no way stands out, and with it's narrative that, as intriguing as it was, (in my opinion) gave everything it had to give with one viewing.

A good companion piece to Anatomy of a Fall.

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.

This was a fairly interesting courtroom drama about alienation and clashing cultures where certain parts of Coly's life were reflected in that of Rama's. Both women are Senegalese, are in interracial relationships, and have complex relationships with their mothers. Aside from a couple brief scenes here and there and a few quality close up shots, the film doesn't do a whole lot with Rama's connection to Coly. The scenes which occur outside of the courtroom which give us a personal look at how the court hearing is affecting Rama feel rushed through as the film is constantly eager to cut back to the lengthy courtroom sequences. Fortunately, what we get in that regard is quite thought provoking and layered. While watching it, I frequently thought about my experience reading "Native Son". While neither works attempt to apologize for the crimes of the respective characters in each, they instead portray the various factors which led to the crimes taking place and recontexualize the violent criminal trope which is used all too often and instead portray them more as everyday humans. The more Coly opens up throughout the film, the more we begin to understand the various factors which shaped her and led to her actions. The most telling bits for me was when her boyfriend (who's noticeably much older than her) was revealed to have gone through great lengths to hide Coly from his family and ignored her distress when she needed him the most. While understanding the nature of a crime is interesting though, so were the parallels between Coly and Rama. Given how much Rama's character existed on the outside edges of the film and how it kept seeming like we'd finally be given more to latch on to with her, there were some noticeable missed opportunities involved. The film had quite a lot of potential and capitalized on maybe 2/3 of it at best. Still though, the film sat decently well with me upon reflection and thinking about its themes and strategies later on was enjoyable. I think I preferred that over watching the film.

"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.

This was one of those movies which left me questioning how I feel about it.

Saint Omer is an intriguing observational movie that strikes on humanity between touching on sympathy, exploring ethnic and cultural commonalities, and maternal connections in parallel realities through shifting perspectives.

The narrative shapes itself up very slowly with complexity and palpable ambiguity in an interesting way where it doesn't give you the answers you may want instead it makes ask a lot of questions, I would assume it's intentional so smart choice from the director Alice Diop.

The story is heavily layered in long dialogue scenes set in almost one prominent location which allows your curiosity to rise, it could get a bit overwhelming to keep up with it but the slow calm pace helps to get you back In focus.

Strong performances, the calm but deep body language especially through the eyes were gripping and delivered exactly what's needed as the story unfolds.

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?

The undoubted quality of the performances in this courtroom drama hold the film together, but the format and narrative left me cold. From the start , the absence of a clear coherent storyline undermined any interest I might have built, and the stagey method of keeping the drama almost totally in the courtroom increasingly made the film rather boring. Yes, it's beautifully made and impressively acted, but I was not gripped. I do understand the idea that the film is a good companion piece to 'Anatomy of a fall'. In the same way, that film left me rather uninterested. Quality, but view with caution.

Saint Omer isn't flashy melodrama. In fact, it's barely a story. Rather, this is a delicate, complex parable about motherhood, identity, and history that uses race and sensationalist underpinnings to arrive at something astonishingly humane. The most fascinating thing about Saint Omer is that there are stories within stories within stories, and rather than tell (as so much dumbed-down contemporary cinema insists upon), director Diop patiently shows. It's a masterclass in suggestion, unreliable narrators, and family politics framed inside of linear courtroom drama. Saint Omer not only posits the question of how we frame literature and media into a self-narrative, but how in doing so one often conveniently obscures very specific truths about themselves and why they relate to the material. In the end, Diop's protagonist - a successful intellectual mother-to-be - comes face to face with her own expectations. The moment of realization is subtle, the conclusions so moving that the film silently screams it's hard-won message, leading the viewer to a conclusion as sublime and challenging as the myths of Medea it frequently references. Why would a woman kill her own child? Diop suggests that we all know the answer, we simply can't speak it out loud.

Brilliant, sophisticated, brutally intelligent and self-aware. This is top-tier filmmaking.

The same century and the same country that produced the delightful comedies of Moliere also gave birth to the tedious dramas of Racine, the avatar of neoclassicism. If this glib assessment of the revered French master raises your hackles, then Saint Omer is the movie for you.

We all know what over-acting is. Examples are all around us. Is it possible to under-act? This film answers that question with a resounding Oui! Same goes for editing, cinematography, and most of the other Oscar categories that give us the opportunity to scoot to the kitchen for another beer. Sometimes less is less.

A woman accused of murdering her child delivers testimony in an expressionless monotone while a writer, also expressionless, watches from the second row. A story that in any other film could easily elicit empathy flattens all emotion, as if the crime in question were littering, not infanticide.

Later, we get to hear the same testimony as the writer reclines in her hotel room and plays back the audio. We can imagine how the writer feels, but it's completely up to us, as she displays no more emotion than she did in the courtroom.

In a conversation with her agent, the writer mentions Medea, the Greek lady who killed her kids and gave their wandering father a flaming bathrobe. For three centuries now French dramatists have delighted in draining all the drama from Greek classics, reducing them to dry intellectual puzzles not worth solving.

Sometimes they apply this technique to contemporary events, asking us to take a fresh look at issues like colonialism, racism and sexism. This kind of thing can work, when executed outside of France. Witness the adaptation of Ulysses by the Coen brothers, "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"

In France, apparently, only comedies are allowed to use modern editing techniques, a sense of pacing, interesting camera angles, and facial expressions.

C'est dommage.

The myth of Medea lived on for many centuries. Throughout history many of the great thinkers of humanity have returned to this captivating myth of Medea. Psychoanalysts have also used it to elaborate interesting theories. The setting of the film is a courthouse and this is the main issue, pulling the focus away from our "Medea" and towards society (represented by judge, lawyers, etc). From then on everything falls apart. How society reacts to a "Medea" is not worth making a film about. It is concerning that it gets so many rewards and that it was France's submission to the Oscars. At the Oscar's it made the shortlist too! Wow... Unbelievable. It was so boring and pointless . The judge is not concerned about facts of the trial, rather she is very interested to learn about feelings of the accused. My wife was just as bored and annoyed as I was. There is no plot, no aesthetic value, acting is dull, nothing stands out.

First of all, I really wanted to like this film, I think her previous movies, without being masterpieces l, all had something interesting to say.

The fact this movie represents France for the Oscars is beyond my comprehension. The actors are terrible, the script doesn't make any sense and the direction is laughable.

The prologue is pointless and bring nothing to the story. Alice Diop doesn't care about the story nor the trial.

Making such a manichean film shows how lazy she is. I know french cinema is in a major crisis for several years but there were at least a dozen much better productions this year.

Help! I fell asleep periodically throughout this film. Can someone please serve up a spoiler and tell me how it ends? I need to justify my $16 investment and two hours of my life.

Evidently someone left a baby in the bath water and the very nice people dressed in different colored robes and speaking French were trying to help her figure out why. No one could but a writer seems to think she has a bestseller on her hands (only in France) and she's a teacher too who mystifies her students although they're very polite and don't fall asleep in her classroom like I did every 10 minutes watching this very dull very French film.