Review of Omar Killed Me (2011) by Ola S — 25 Oct 2012

A French woman is found murdered. With her blood, she has written "Omar m'a tuer" = "Omar killed me". It's not correct French. It's not the way a French woman would write such a thing, But Omar is the Muslim gardener from Morocco and it suits a racist police force, prosecutioner and court to find him guilty. But a journalist starts to investigate...

This is more than just your common trial drama, because there isn't much drama around. The story isn't what's most important, it's what the story does to those involved. That makes this a more effective cry for justice than any clever lawyer freedom fighter show. Good acting in a French environment we're not used to. The rhetorics are less important than the silences.

Roschdy Zem is the director and he lifts a tired archetype, shakes it and returns it to us. Thanks for that.