- The primary mode of documentary used in Sisters in Law is Observational. The directors likely chose this mode due to the verisimilitude of watching the events occur on screen without the filmmakers stepping in (as seen in documentaries by people such as Michael Moore) at any point. This also makes the film much more effective in moments of shock, as we see the subjects express emotion without directly addressing the documentary crew.
2. The Cinema Verite movement (or ‘direct cinema’) is a documentary style in which the filmmakers spend an extended amount of time living in and recording the communities in which they are making their films about. No scenes are manipulated to create a certain plot, and instead the film’s narrative is created during the editing process using the actuality footage. One example of this in Sisters in Law is the scene in which the young girl gives her account of when she was raped, in which the directors choose not to cut out the graphic details she describes. Another example is when the lawyers are discussing the court case surrounding domestic abuse and express their frustration with the court.
3. ‘Would Sisters in Law construct a different narrative or give different perspectives of women’s lives, if the directors were men?’ – I believe that the gender of Sisters in Law’s director does make a difference in what is and isn’t shown on screen. Being female herself, Longinotto relates to how women are spoken to and mistreated by men, and she holds them accountable for their actions. For example, when the male lawyer is talking to Vera in a disrespectful and sarcastic manner, Longinotto keeps the footage uncut in the film in order to make sure spectators know exactly what kind of person he is in the later court scenes.
‘If truth is important to documentary filmmaking, what truths are revealed in Sisters in Law?’ – Longinotto uses Sisters in Law as a way to emphasise the cruelty women in Cameroon suffer at the hands of men or even each other. However, following the stories of female lawyers who manage to prove to the court that the offenders are guilty shows that change had begun in terms of Cameroon’s patriarchal society.