Sisters in Law is a documentary film By Kim Longinotto, the critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker who is known for her works such as Pink Saris (2010) and Rough Aunties (2008) that focus on female oppression and giving women a voice in a patriarchal society. Sisters in Law focuses on a small courthouse in Cameroon where a State Prosecutor and Court President work together to help women in their village who feel as though they don’t have a voice.
Stories of female empowerment are present throughout the film; one woman wishes to divorce her brutal husband whilst other stories of young children such as Manka who had been beaten by her Aunt, causing permanent scarring down her body and Grace, a young girl who had been raped and left bleeding in the streets.
The film ends with the prosecution and conviction of all the wrongdoers, sending them to jail with hard labour or the eventual divorce of a married couple with the purpose of appealing to women and girls in the audience and inspiring them to stand up to injustices.
Sisters in Law fits into the Observational Mode of documentary filming due to its attempts to capture objective reality, placing the filmmaker as just an observer hidden behind the camera, whilst the camera rushes around to follow the naturally occurring events which results in rough footage.
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