Saint Omer
One day, Laurence Coly came from Senegal to France to study philosophy. She became pregnant by an elderly Frenchman, a pregnancy she kept hidden, as she did the delivery. When the child is 15 months old, she leaves it behind on the beach to be swept away by the tide. For this incomprehensible act, she is now on trial in the northern French town of Saint-Omer. This trial attracts the attention of writer Rama, who herself is pregnant and working on a book about Medea, the child murderer from Greek mythology. The trial confronts her with ghosts of the past: was she wanted, was she loved by her mother?
Saint Omer is the feature debut of documentary filmmaker Alice Diop. She based the story on an almost identical but real case from 2013. The way she did this, with changes of perspective, impressed the international film scene, earning her many awards, including the Grand Prize of the Jury at the last Venice Film Festival.
Expat Cinema Meet-up: February 8
At Rialto VU we regularly organise expat meet-ups in which we watch recent foreign language films with English subtitles, and get together for drinks and networking afterwards.
On Wednesday the 8th of February, at 7:00PM, we will watch Saint Omer with English subtitles, after which we'll get together for talks & drinks. Click here for tickets for this particular screening.
Do you want updates on upcoming events and stay connected within our expat community? Join our Expat Cinema facebook group or/and the Expat Cinema meetup page. Events and information will be announced on both platforms.
This Expat Cinema Meet-up is organised in collaboration with AIC Amsterdam International Community.
