Social Contexts – Sisters in Law takes place in an underdeveloped and poor part of Cameroon, one in which patriarchal views are normalised and men see women as their property more than they do as equal. Additionally, children are often only given an education if they are male, reinforcing the gender inequality. A female judge and lawyer being placed in positions of power in the documentary signifies positive change in terms of attitudes towards gender in the town of Kumba.

Production Contexts – Initially, Kim Longinotto and Florence Aiyisi were going to work together on a documentary with the focus being on police, however they changed their minds following a visit to Cameroon, where Aiysi grew up, to the legal system and the women involved.

Sorry to Bother You (2018) – Directed by Boots Riley

The Neon Demon (2016) – Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Rating – 7/10

A memorable scene in the film for me was the insects bursting out the man’s hand, due to the unsettling and disturbing nature of the visuals that create a sense of fear and disgust.

Explain how the specific socio-historical contexts (first half of the 20th century) may have influenced the work of the early surrealist filmmakers – Following the first world war, artists and filmmakers adopted the surrealism movement to express their freedom from oppressors and used their work to imitate that of the unconscious mind and dreams. Early surrealist directors like Dali and Bunuel may have used imagery that signifies fear to remind audiences what kind of world they were leaving in just a few years prior, where they felt those emotions everyday.

Dali Atomicus – Salvador Dali (1948)

The Philosopher’s Lamp – René Magritte (1936)

Throughout the video, I felt a sense of intrigue as to what kind of narrative was going on in each small scene (e.g. who is the horse man, why is the man sitting in a bath full of cereal etc)

A specific image that stuck with me was the guy in the spongebob outfit getting arrested due to the absurdity of the situation.

1. 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.

Rating – 7/10

A key moment for me was when Manka’s uncle arrived, and learnt that her step-sister had pretended to be her auntie and had beaten her many times with a cane. The lack of narration or infographics is effective as the actuality footage of his shocked reaction to finding out what had happened to Manka reinforces the extent to which she was abused.

Infotainment – Providing facts through entertainment modes (e.g. Bowling for Columbine animated segment about second amendment)

Polemic Approach – Carefully selected shots to give a specific point of view.

Noddy Shots – Reaction shots of the interviewer while in conversation with an interviewee.

Superimpositions – Visual guides e.g. charts, graphs, names.

Actuality Footage – Footage filmed by eyewitnesses at the time of the event (e.g. phone camera footage).

Mediation – The alteration of the filmmakers experience by producers to present a certain interpretation to audiences.

Distortion – Twisting or changing footage from its original state to change the factual context behind it.

Hyperreality – Blurring the lines between fantasy and real life so that the audience struggle to make a clear distinction between the two.

Verisimilitude – Making documentaries as true to real life as possible.

Bias – Filmmakers attempting to get the audience to support one specific ‘side of the story’

Objectivity – Giving the impression to audiences that they are observers of the events on screen

Selection/Editing – Picking out specific parts of footage to include in the documentary.

Sentence using key words – The observational documentary ‘Don’t Look Back’ doesn’t use mediation in order to keep the events as close to verisimilitude as possible, instead opting to just follow the events as they unfold on screen.