Saint Omer

Director: Alice Diop

2022 / 122min / DCP

“A dry force of cinema. No illusions. Just the truth.”—Alain Gomis

“Diop’s first narrative feature is a striking courtroom drama that reimagines the Medea myth. In the town of Saint Omer, located in northern France, Rama (Kayije Kagame), a successful journalist and author from Paris, immerses herself in the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a young Senegalese woman accused of murdering her infant daughter. Laurence’s candid admission of the act, lacking a clear motive, shakes Rama’s emotional stability as she grapples with the case, confronting memories of her immigrant mother and her own pregnancy denial. Diop skillfully navigates the complexities of motherhood, immigration, and cultural myths, crafting a film that is not only riveting and superbly acted but also possesses multiple layers, ultimately uncovering humanity in the midst of the inhumane.”—Adeline Monzier, series curator