Saint Omer (2022)
(Alice Diop, France 2022, 122 min., DCP, French w/English subtitles)
Saint-Omer, Northern France. A woman stands trial for the murder of her fifteen-month-old baby, having abandoned it to the tides in a coastal village. Meanwhile, a young novelist going through her own life changes travels to cover the trial. Director Alice Diop makes her first foray into narrative film after more than a decade as a documentarian. Based on her experience covering a similar trial, much of the film is spent in the courtroom as the various sides attempt to determine the truth behind the accused and her actions. Diop’s observational style captures these two women as they face their inner demons and the traps society has laid for them, leading to excellent performances from Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanda.