I got this bluray because I read a joint interview between Alice Diop and Claire Denis in Sight & Sound, and Denis had many nice things to say about this movie.
And I understand why immediately — from the very first scene, it’s kinda gripping, and not completely unlike Denis’ films.
*gasp*
Wow. This movie is fantastic. It’s so … It’s not that it’s a subtle movie, because it tells you exactly what’s going on all the time — but not by having characters explain it at you, as most movies do. There’s these incredible shifts in where we suddenly realise something (like in the scene where Medea is mentioned) and everything shifts and you feel like shouting “DID YOU SEE THAT!” because if you’re looking at your phone while watching this, you’ll feel like nothing actually happened.
It feels like a movie in conversation not only with Claire Denis but Jeanne Dielman: It’s low key, but gripping and exciting.
And the actors in this are amazing. So many wonderful performances. Except, weirdly enough, the central character (but not the protagonist) — the woman accused of killing her child? I just didn’t buy her as the character she was portraying.
But on the other hand… perhaps that’s a very calculated move? Because that’s one of the mysteries of the movie.
Ah! It’s the second best film of 2022 according to Sight & Sound!
Saint Omer. Alice Diop. 2022. ☐ ⚀ ⚁ ⚂ ⚃ ⚄ ⚅
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