Sisters in Law (2005)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Directors:

Florence Ayisi
Kim Longinotto

Release Date:

8 March 2006 (France)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Set in Kumba in South West Cameroon Sisters in Law follows Adultery, Rape and Abuse cases led by a Female Judge. |

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Vera Ngassa	...	Herself
Beatrice Ntuba	...	Herself

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Cameroon | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Sweden:7 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Kumba, Cameroon

Company:

Vixen Films (I)

A bit messy and lacks a wider perspective but interesting and uplifting nonetheless

It is no longer acceptable to really question much about Islam because if you do you are seen as being racist and perhaps part of a bigger anti-Muslim conspiracy. To me this lack of critical review from outside and (even more lacking) within the community is not a good thing because it leaves us with pantomime arguments with extreme viewpoints in the media (eg "islam is evil", "no it isn't", "yes it is"). What this film does well then is to present situations in Cameroon where the Sharia law dominant in the villages comes up against secular law – it doesn't push any anti-Sharia agenda but the viewer is left in no doubt that this type of rule as it is applied in these situations certainly offers little or no protection for women and children.

To gain insight into this conflict between the old and the new we follow two women at the top of the legal profession – prosecutor Vera Ngassa and senior judge Beatrice Ntuba as they deal with a selection of cases involving child abuse and domestic abuse. I'm not sure how much of the film is a real fly-on-the-wall affair and how much has been recreated for the cameras but my gut feel is that all or the majority is real since I don't believe that the change in the child Manka could have been done as well by an actress. Lacking commentary the film "simply" documents the cases and the people involved and it is this approach that has strengths and weaknesses. The strength is that it gives us an understanding for the issues but the downside is how disjointed and messy it can often feel. This doesn't mean that it is hard to follow (it isn't) but just that it is hard to get a wider understanding of the situation outside of these few specific cases and individuals. The film still works with this but to me the lack of context and wider information it didn't give me all I would have liked.

It easy to get behind the emotional cases made by Ngassa and adjudicated by Ntuba because they do apply common sense and indignation to their approach, however without a wider understanding I was bemused by how informal and emotional the process is. The film is quite uplifting to see these cases be won in a country where domestic abuse conviction are less than a rarity – but again it is a weakness that the film does not make it an ongoing thing that we appreciate the wider society that this is happening with. That said though it is still a fascinating affair and is moving and quite funny at times as well. Yes it is messy and perhaps lacks the bigger picture but it is still cheering and a welcome point of view to put alongside the view we get of life and attitudes in Africa.