Representations

Women – In Sisters in Law, women are represented as vulnerable and subservient in society. This is evident in how Vera fights for women rights in court alone, overpowered by the male dominated lawyers, who laugh at her feminist concepts and patronise her idea just because she is a woman. Additionally the traditional Muslim views surrounding women are evident in the struggle for Muslim women to escape male abuse through divorce, as the result of the taboo divorce is in Muslim religion.

Differently, women are also presented as strong-willed and powerful, specially the female prosecutor/ Judge, who fight for women’s rights in an extremely male-dominated society and line of work. Both subjects don’t give up fighting for women in the face of struggle and insult, they stay strong and strain to give every women and girl they meet the justice they deserve.

Men – In Sisters in Law, men are represented to be incredibly controlling and abusive (both mentally and physically). This is specifically poignant as the documentary exposes that the men’s outdated and traditional views surrounding women are a product of what men are taught growing up in this specific cultures.

Additionally, in the documentary, men in high status positions such as lawyers are shown to be incredibly narcissistic and entitled in the way they interact with you they believe, are below them. (e.g. women). They are rarely seen taking women seriously, laughing in their faces when asked about female equality, and are overall dismissive of any sense of female rights brought up be the female Lawyer or Judge.

Children – the children portrayed in Sisters in Law are presented to appear totally and utterly helpless. They are represented as innocent and vulnerable, unable to fight for themselves. Specifically this is shown through the many instances of child abuse covered in the film, where the child is seemingly intimidated and scared in telling the prosecutor what has occurred in fear of being punished by the offender, this itself adds to the intention of the documentary, to evoke empathy in the viewer and show just how harmful tradition and outdated views can be on young children.

Muslim People – Muslim women are represented at subservient and overpowered in Sisters in Law, but through the help of the female prosecutors fighting for their rights as women, e.g their right for divorce, they are introduced with a new sense of liberty and hope in the knowledge that they can escape their abusive husbands and live lives as courageous and empowered individuals.

Muslim men are represented in the documentary as extremely traditional and adamant in the implementation of these religious views on women, detailing how women must ask for permission before leaving the house, the Muslim men in the film believe they ‘own’ their wives and continue to uphold these strict, outdates rules on women as they don’t believe this is wrong.

Aesthetics

Kim Longinotto uses aesthetics and visual style in Sisters in Law to communicate the economic state that Cameroon is in, specifically through the use of mise-en-scene, they establish how Cameroon is an extremely under-developed country.

This especially is shows through Vera’s office, the shock factor of a very high status individual having to wok in a very ‘poor’ place really enforces the poverty of Cameroon. This is shown through how the employees use branches and alike to sweep the floor, in addition to the lack of proper cabinets and facilities in the office, instead the audience sees stacks of paper lying about, implying that the state cannot afford adequate working conditions even for extremely important jobs like prosecuting criminals.

What this achieves for the documentary as a whole, is evoking a sense of sympathy in the spectator, eliciting to Cameroons subjectively unpleasant living/working standards. therefor implementing the themes of poverty, inequality and struggle shown in the documentary.

Contexts

Social Contexts – The documentary follows the judicial system in Cameroon, Central Africa. Cameroon is considered a third-world country, suffering from extreme poverty and a general sense of patriarchal reign. This could be due to its traditional values and ideas, reinforced by the fact that 69.2 percent of the population, and 20.9 Muslim. The traditional values of Cameroon shines through the treatment of women exposed in the documentary, often believed to be ‘owned’ by their husbands from sometimes as young as when a girl leaves primary school.

Production (economic) Contexts – The idea of this documentary grew from visiting Kumba Town, west Cameroon. The directors originally planned on the topic of observation being the police, but instead opted around the justice system, specifically surrounding feminist issues. The directors were supported by a non-profit media organisation called ‘women make movies’, who encourage women to learn how to make films through the various film-making workshops they run.

Critical Debates and Filmmakers’ Theories

1)This documentary is considered observational, meaning they stray from the use of narration and infographics, and instead act as a ‘fly on the wall’.

Through the use of observational documentary, Longinotto aims to build a relationship between the viewer and the subjects; to further immerse the spectator in the story to, as an end result, evoke an emotional response on the issue being exposed.

2)Cinema Verite, or ‘truth cinema’ is a style of documentary filmmaking that combines improvisation with the use of a camera to reveal a truth or highlight subjects hidden behind reality.

Sister in Law utilises these techniques to represent the truth as objectively as possible, freeing the viewer from deceptions in how those aspects of life were formerly presented to them. An example of the concept of ‘truth cinema’ being used in the film is during the court scenes. Instead of having direct interviews with the accused or the victims, or even a reporter addressing what happened in the courtroom, we are instead placed ‘inside’ the scene. We feel the same suspense that they do and as a result feel completely immersed in the situation.

Additionally, the scene in which Manka is brought into the course house depicting her horrific abuse; the spectator sees the whole story; start to finish; from when she was brought in, to where the abuser is sent to be arrested, the confrontation with the abuser, and finally the prosecution of the abuser. This establishes a close relationship between the viewer and the subjects and evokes the spectator to root for Manka. If this scene was done differently, with the use of narration for example, the catharsis wouldn’t be as effective, and this case would feel like one of many.

3)Would Sisters in Law construct a different narrative or give different perspectives of women’s lives, If the directors were men?

I feel as though the film would have a different reaction if the directors were men, although I feel as though men could still deliver in exposing the issues of child abuse and the mistreatment of women, the fact that the directors are women gives the audience a sense of women ‘taking back their liberty’ and a sense of female solidarity amongst a culture that is often male orientated.

The female perspective lends itself perfectly in aiding the narrative of the film, specifically in the scene where Vera Ngassa (prosecutor) is defending the victimised woman in court, single handily fighting against the very traditional views of the accused lawyer. The fact that she is a women gives the audience a sense of just how stunted the men are in feminist views, and how if she wasn’t there the men would come together and dismiss the abuse she went through.

If truth is important to documentary filmmaking, what truths are revealed in Sisters in Law?

Sisters in Law is an observational documentary, focusing on exposing the torment and mistreatment some women experience in Cameroon, Central Africa. The film manages to expose men’s fixed view on women as a result of tradition, how they are expected to be subservient to their husbands. One issue that Sisters in Law cover, is that of the belief that once women are married, their husbands have free rein over their body and freedom, meaning they are condoned to rape and abuse their wife whenever they please, additional to the belief that wives must ask for permission before leaving the house.

Sisters in Law also expose the controversy of African tradition; where some young girls and sent to be married right after primary school, they aren’t provided education or the concept of individuality, but are taught to be an extension of their husband.

Score: 8/10

Key Moment:

This scene was extremely effective in creating a response in the spectator; as you can see just how supportive and caring the female law advocates are in this case. They discuss men seeing women as property, once they are bought they can do anything they’d like to them; the lawyers comfort the victim after her court hearing and reassure her this is not the case; giving her the courage to stay strong despite the taboo of divorce and taking your husband to court in Muslim culture.

Stylistic Approach

Infotainment – the reporting of news and facts in an entertaining and humorous way rather than providing real information

Investigative Journalism – in-depth research, pursuing inquiries, dealing with documents, finding people, and writing about various topics like social issues, crime, corruption, and government investigations

Polemic approach – One sided view – presenting shots that support only this. The producers perspective shown clearly.

Exposition –  occurs at the beginning and introduces the important themes of the film. It is important because it creates the viewer’s first impression and introduces the viewer to the content.

Mockumentary – often used to analyse or comment on current events and issues in a satirical way by using a fictional setting, or to parody the documentary form itself

Film Making Techniques

Actuality footage – footage from eye witnesses of the event happening in real time.

Chill footage – neutral shot of location/ setting, to establish whats happening before an event.

Reconstructions – a creative production decision which involves reconstructing a reality or event rather than filming it as it occurs spontaneously.

Process footage/ Reflexivity – focuses on the relationship between the filmmaker and the audience, pushing viewers to reflect on their perceptions and re-analyse their notions of truth – shows the process of the film making (BTS)

Noddy shots – a type of camera reaction shot used in recorded news or current affairs interviews. They consist of nods and other similar “listening gestures” made by the interviewer.

Infographics – graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. e.g graphs

Superimpositions – Text/ visual guides on screen used to explain thing on screen. e.g name of location/ person.

Representing Facts:

Mediation – Camera person getting between the viewer and the subject.

Distortion – twisting/changing footage to change/ alter the message/ reality.

Hyperreality – an artificially created copy that is perceived as somehow more real than the real thing, or too real to be real: modelled on reality but with an exaggerated intensity.

Verisimilitude –  verisimilitude means basically “similarity to the truth“. Most fiction writers and filmmakers aim at some kind of verisimilitude to give their stories an air of reality. 

Bias – challenges us to confront our hidden biases and understand what we risk when we follow our gut. Producer having an agender, how that alters the spectators perception.

Objectivity – a documentary of people who agree in some measurements about the terms and conditions that underscore this distanced presence, although different communities will assign different meanings and definition.

Selection/ Electing –

In David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet’ the producer/ narrator holds an environmental bias; being that of the detrimental effects of global warming and pollution. This is then emphasized to create sympathy through the use of narrated mediation, encouraging the spectator to have a more immersive and directed relationship with the subjects of the documentary.

Poetic Mode

As Nichols stated in his book, the poetic mode “moves away from the ‘objective’ reality of a given situation or people, to grasp at an “inner truth” that can only be grasped by poetical manipulation”. In other words, instead of using linear continuity to create a structure, a poetic documentary arranges its shots by means of associations, tone and rhythm. A subjective, abstract representation of reality is shown to the audience with emphasis on the visuals. Poetic documentaries often rely on colour, tones, sounds and mood. They are usually associated with avant-garde filmmaking.

Samsara (2011)  created by Ron Fricke

Expository Mode

This tends to be the mode most familiar to us. It is frequently used in nature and TV documentaries. Expository documentaries use the ‘voice of God’ narration where by the author provides a scripted commentary to accompany or illustrate visuals. They are sometimes referred to as essays films because their primary aim is to educate their audience and explain their subject. This mode is famously seen in documentaries narrated by David Attenborough where they will ‘assume a logical argument’, informing the audience of what they are seeing on screen. Expository documentaries will be heavily researched focusing on facts rather than opinion or emotion. That is not to say that these sorts of documentaries cannot purge emotion or shape opinions. They may talk about controversial subjects, however there aim is to inform objectively and supply evidence.

Frozen Planet (2011) narrated by David Attenborough

Observational Mode

The Observational mode, also referred to as cinema verité, direct cinema or fly-on-the-wall documentary is a more specific type of documentary telling. Observational documentaries were essentially born out of a movement in the 1960s and 1970s by a group of filmmakers who referred to themselves as ‘actuality filmmakers’. Due to the advance in technology during this time, sound and camera equipment became easier to use and manoeuvre . This allowed filmmakers more freedom and the ability to observe events without being intrusive to their subjects. The concept of direct cinema is that the best way to see truth is to view it without any involvement or influence. To be a ‘fly on the wall’. This often means that the footage is raw and shaky or jumpy. Nothing is staged and what you see is completely natural. There are of course arguments asking how natural someone can be when a camera is present, despite how non-intrusive it is. However this does not necessarily detract from the mode itself. 

Armadillo (2011) directed by Janus Metz Pedersen

Participatory Documentaries

Bill Nichols describes participatory documentary as “[when] the encounter between filmmaker and subject is recorded and the filmmaker actively engages with the situation they are documenting.”

The Participatory mode has become a popular form of documentary telling in the last 30 years or more with names such as Michael Moore, Nick Broomfield and Louis Theroux championing this technique. Often this is also investigative filmmaking where a question is asked or a controversial topic is explored and the filmmaker is showing the audience the filmmaking process of their subject. The filmmaker can become an integral part of the film. This was most recently seen in the documentary Icarus, both a participatory and performative documentary. Participatory documentaries can be done by the filmmaker or director following their subject around and asking questions, a technique often employed by Louis Theroux. The filmmaker does not influence the subject but will attempt to subjectively engage with their subject despite their personal beliefs.

Icarus (2017) directed by Bryan Fogel

Reflexive Documentaries

Reflexive documentaries acknowledge the way a documentary is constructed and that it is impossible to show a purely objective and truthful subject due to how many processes there are. From the use of the camera to the editing and the filmmaker themselves, there will always be subjectivity or decisions that need to be made which will change the story, whether it be intentional or not. As Bill Nichols wrote, the reflexive mode will provoke audiences to “question the authenticity of documentary in general”. Mocumentaries can sometimes fall under the reflexive mode due to their self-awareness. 

The Man With A Movie Camera (1929) directed by Dziga Vertov

Performative Documentaries

The performative mode of documentary is the direct opposite of the observational mode.

Performative documentaries will emphasize and encourage the filmmakers involvement with the subject. Performative documentaries tend to be more emotionally driven and may have a larger political or historical motivation. Because the filmmaker tends to be passionately involved, performative documentaries will usually be subjective in one way or another. Unlike many modes of documentary, performative do not set out to reach a truth but show a perspective or ‘what is like to be there’.

Catfish (2010) directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost

Starter Task

Documentary Film – A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion picture intended to “document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record“.

Documentary filmmakers have a responsibility to be truthful to their vision of the world without intentionally misrepresenting a topic.

What is the difference between a documentary film and a documentary TV programme?

Television documentary series, sometimes called docuseries, are television series screened within an ordered collection of two or more televised episodes. Television documentary films exist as a singular documentary film to be broadcast via a documentary channel or a news-related channel.