Semret is a narrative feature, but as I was watching, there were distinct filmic elements that felt documentary, especially the portraiture montage near the end of the film. So I wasn’t surprised when I looked up the filmmaker Caterina Mona, much of her previous work was as an editor for documentaries. She carries that filmmaking sensibility to her film, letting the camera sit and find the story. It’s a quiet film, but that works for the narrative that focuses on Semret (played by Lula Mebrahtu), who is a very internalized character.
Shortly after helping a woman give birth at the hospital, Semret puts an image of herself and the new mother on her fridge. The fridge is full of pictures. It speaks of someone that takes pride in her work but also someone that feels a void, which becomes clearer as she has a nightmare and joins her daughter, Joe (played by Hermela Tekleab), on the couch bed to sleep.
Without it being voiced, a picture starts to get painted about Semret’s fears. The way she moves through the world and how she interacts with people. Particularly how she interacts with her daughter, the questions she asks about her friend and her family, and her desire to keep her home, to keep her close. When her daughter starts to assert independence as teens are oft to do, she struggles. Meanwhile, Joe knows Semret is keeping secrets from her, and that breeds resentment.
Semret is shown to be capable at work but unable to get advancement. At times she’s kept out of rooms of learning and told not to make a fuss about it. Refugees are often told to adapt and assimilate. Early in the film, Semret herself tells Joe she’s Swiss, not Eritrean. But at the same time, they’re denied opportunities. This is highlighted by Semret and Yemane’s (played by Tedros Teclebrhan) experiences. Racism, of course, is also a contributing factor. Despite her misgivings, Semret finds herself leaning on Yemane, a fellow hospital worker and Eritrean refugee, as she tries to navigate her changing relationship with her daughter and discontentment at work.
What I loved, despite it making me cringe and my tummy shift, is that the film doesn’t shy away from the unglamorous parts of giving birth. When Semret cleans a room after a birth, mixed with the blood on the bed is evidence of defecation. These little touches both helped ground the film in reality while also showing that Semret, despite how good she is at patient care, is mostly still expected to work as a cleaner as she waits to hear if she’ll finally get admitted into midwifery school.
Semret won Le Film Français Award at Locarno Pro’s 2021 First Look on Swiss Cinema, which looks at films in post-production. The completed film premiered at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival in the Piazza Grande section, which is their large outdoor cinema and speaks to how highly the festival regards the film.