Tonight on TV: Less well-known than Anatomy of the Fall, this experimental film is still worth a detour

12 Angry Men, Philadelphia, The Goldman Trial, Intimate Conviction or even Anatomy of a Fall, all these films have one thing in common: their camera invites itself to court.

But there’s another one we talk about less often that’s just as important: Saint Omer, Alyssa Diop’s first feature film, very closely inspired by the news that unfolded in November 2013.

• Want another TV tip tonight? We recommend this prison film Fragile, Tormented and Tortured with Sylvester Stallone.

Coming to cinemas in 2022, the film follows Rama, a young writer who goes to the trial of Lawrence Coley at the Assize Court of Saint-Omer in Pas-de-Calais. The purpose of his visit? Find inspiration to write your next novel.

A suspect of Senegalese origin (like Roma) is accused of abandoning his fifteen-month-old daughter at high tide on the beach. But in this trial, Lawrence Kohl’s words return Rama to her own past and her future status as a mother.

In the wake of Autumn Anatomy

For his first feature on the big screen (after several documentaries), Alice Diop It was inspired by the story of Fabien Caboux, who was accused of murdering a child. And based on the story of this murderous mother, the director delivers a powerful two-hour closed session at the heart of the legal process.

Several themes collide here. It’s about education, pressure, ambition and humiliation, against the backdrop of casual racism. In the context of a criminal court, the director handles these many sensitive issues with infinite delicacy.

Actors Kaije Kagame (Rama), Guslagi Malanda (Laurence Kohl) and Aurelia Petty (Maitre Vodenay) set the screen on fire as the civilian, the accused and the lawyer (who delivers the poignant final argument).

And after conquering the French press, with a rating of 4.2 out of 5, the film Holy Omer Awarded the César for Best First Feature, as well as the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Proof that it fully deserves its place among the best experimental films…

Tonight at Arte at 20:55.