Review: Saint Omer

Image courtesy of Super LTD.

Filmmaker Alice Diop has made the leap from documentaries to feature films with the disquieting "Saint Omer," a story based upon a court case to which the director was privy in 2016.  The case was tried in the titular French town, where Diop listened to the testimony of Fabienne Kabou - in the film, the character is named Laurence Coly and is portrayed by Guslagie Malanda in a mesmerizing performance composed completely of courtroom testimony - who drowned her infant daughter on the Berck-sur-Mer beach.

However, Diop was mystified by the vague and unsatisfactory answers provided by the woman on trial - in the film, Rama (Kayije Kagame), an author in search of material for her new novel, which is meant to be a modern meditation on the story of Medea, who murdered her own sons, is a stand-in for Diop. When asked why she drowned her baby, Laurence replies that she hopes to find the answer to that question during the course of her trial.

As the film opens, Rama is lecturing to a class on Marguerite Duras - an author and filmmaker whose style is somewhat mimicked in "Saint Omer," from its placing women at the center of the story to the long pauses and silences throughout the picture. We recognize that Rama is a successful author and seemingly has a happy home life.

It's only about halfway into the film that we learn Rama is pregnant, and her ambivalence about it sheds some light as to why she seems so moved by Laurence's trial. The question is whether she's moved more by the infant's death or the plight of the mother, who is referred to as an "unseen woman." Laurence is educated - a teacher who testifies against her smirks as she notes that her pupil wanted to write a thesis on Wittgenstein, but she insensitively suggested that she instead focus on someone closer to her own culture (Laurence is Senegalese; so is Rama).

Laurence lived with a much older, white Frenchman, who testifies that he cared for the baby and was shocked by Laurence's behavior. However, Laurence testifies that he refused to acknowledge to his ex-wife or anyone else that he was involved with her, and he wouldn't claim the baby as his own. Interestingly, Rama is also involved with a white man who has impregnated her, although their relationship seems to be much more stable.

As the trial wears on, Rama comes into contact with Laurence's mother, who appears concerned that Laurence is coming off as arrogant and unfriendly during one particular morning of testimony. Laurence had earlier testified that she'd fled her home country because of her difficulty getting along with her parents. Her mother insisted on Laurence speaking French as a girl and wanted her to assimilate, and Laurence has clearly done so - but what little good it has done her.

"Saint Omer" is a film about the act of listening. Much of the film is set within the confines of the court chambers and a significant amount of the dialogue is testimony. Diop has noted that she wanted to make a film in which we listen to a woman's story - and that's exactly what "Saint Omer" does. It poses questions, but provides few answers. The film's judge appears to want to get to the bottom of what happened - and even shows some sympathy toward Laurence - but she, like audience members, most likely will be baffled by her answers.

While Laurence's case may be incomprehensible - at least, in terms of what happened and why - Rama's presence as a listener is a filter for the audience through which the strange and tragic tale is conveyed. We may have no better sense of why Laurence did what she did by the film's end, but some helpful musical accompaniment by Nina Simone, and a final scene in which Rama seems to find peace in what appears to be a fraught relationship with her mother might provide clues as to what Diop is getting at. "Saint Omer" requires some patience, but it's repaid.