Rama, a young writer, attends Laurence Coly’s trial at the Saint-Omer Assize Court. Coly is accused of killing her fifteen-month-old daughter by leaving her on a beach in northern France during high tide. But during the trial, the defendant’s words and the witnesses’ statements shake Rama’s certainties and cast doubt on our judgment.

This is Alice Diop’s first fiction film after numerous socially engaged documentaries that examine the problems and inequalities within French society. The director uses the setting of the courtroom to explore the complexity of social prejudice and oppression, and examines the far-reaching impact of otherness, shame, and demonization in an original and innovative courtroom drama.

This hypnotic courtroom drama was France’s official Oscar submission in 2022. The film won the Grand Prix for Best Film at the Ghent Film Festival. At the Venice Film Festival, Saint Omer won the Silver Lion: Grand Jury Prize, as well as the Edipo Re Award and Luigi De Laurentius Award for Best Debut