Saint Omer

AroView: Inspired by real events, this devastating fictional drama from French-Senegalese director Alice Diop delivers a formally brilliant treatise on post-colonialism and the burdens of motherhood.

Guslagie Malanda is a mesmerizing presence as a recent migrant on trial for the murder of her infant baby, her tragic story told from the perspective of a novelist (Kayije Kagame) in attendance of the court proceedings who is reconciling her own issues around cultural displacement. Following “Anatomy of a Fall”, this coincides as another drama directed by a woman and set largely in a French courtroom that will leave you breathless.

“Intellectually galvanizing and emotionally harrowing, the story explores motherhood, race and postcolonial France with control, lucidity and compassion.” ~Manohla Dargis, New York Times

“In her narrative debut, Diop has found a way to mix her hard-hitting documentary style with fiction to raise a mirror to society. This new arena, with its wider reach, makes Diop an exciting filmmaker to watch.” ~Ronda Racha Penrice, TheWrap