Alice Diop – Saint Omer (2022)
Motherhood is a curious feeling. On the one hand, it is the result of a biological process leading to the natural prerogative of protection of an infant. It is expected to be instinctive, with the same appearance and passion found in every corner of humanity. The reality, however, is quite different, as motherhood is inextricably linked to personal flaws and societal circumstances.
In 2016, the accomplished documentary filmmaker Alice Diop, sat in the courtroom in the town of Saint-Omer, listening to the chilling testimony of Fabienne Kabou, a French-Senegalese woman accused of killing her infant daughter. Kabou breast-fed the baby before placing her on the sand of the Berck-sur-Mer beach, leaving her to drown in the rising tide. Why did Kabou do such a thing? Kabou’s answers (“It was simpler that way”) were ambiguous and ultimately unsatisfying, at least in terms of determining motive. Kabou was examined by psychiatrists and was declared paranoid but well enough to stand trial. Kabou spoke of evil forces threatening her baby. Diop, born to Senegalese parents, and pregnant at the time, was drawn to attend the trial almost like a magnetic force. Kabou’s testimony made Diop reflect upon her own life, her mother, her impending motherhood, as well as the experience of being “othered” in the land of her birth. “Saint Omer,” Diop’s first narrative feature, is the result of this powerful personal experience. And what a powerful film it is.
Saint.Omer.2022.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-FLUX.mkv General Container: Matroska Runtime: 2h 2mn Size: 3.09 GiB Video Codec: h264 Resolution: 1280x688 Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Frame rate: 23.976 fps Bit rate: 2 959 kb/s Audio French 5.1ch E-AC-3 @ 640 kb/s
https://nitro.download/view/6DC0395AB5D6471/Saint.Omer.2022.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-FLUX.mkv
Language(s):French
Subtitles:English