Queen of Glory (2021 | USA | 79 mins | Nana Mensah)
Sarah is steeped in a world of scientific study and dissertations; that world suddenly stops with just a single phone call, her mother has died of a sudden aneurism. Not only has she lost someone dear to her but she’s thrown into the deep end of caring for her funeral arrangements, both American and Ghanaian. She’s much more familiar and comfortable with the former, but the culture and customs of her mother’s homeland go way over her head.
With little help and a lot of judgement, her non-familial aunties and relations pressure her to have a traditional ceremony when all Sarah wants to do is prepare for her move to Ohio with her soon-to-be-separated boyfriend in less than a month. Her mother has left her a Christian book store and a home in the Bronx; feeling saddled, she bides her time until she can sell both and start a new life in the midwest. The deeper she gets into the preparation for her mother’s ceremony, the closer she begins to feel to her ancestry and traditions. Just as her life begins to fall apart before her very eyes, the community support and love for her mother envelops her, picks her up and gives her a sense of purpose.
Considering the set of films I’ve already enjoyed at MVFF, the fact that this one tops my list is impressive and really says something. Death is always a rich catalyst for new beginnings, healing old wounds and discovering what’s really important and all three of those were woven into the story of Queen of Glory. Director and lead actress Nana Mensah was a complete delight to watch and her entire cast was equally as adept, charming and clever. While leading us through a very tense and awkward human experience, Mensah put the viewer in her shoes both knowing and ignorant to Ghanaian traditions. Offering up ceremonies and experiences to the viewer as if we were part of the family, yet also getting across a sense of unease with her part in it all was seamless. She shared the quiet pain that comes with loss as if it were ours together instead of shutting us out to simply view it through an external lens. Last but not least, the huge helping of humor and whit that wound its way through the story easing tension and heartache making her all the more relatable and engaging.
Mensah is a brilliant actress (and we come to find out a fantastic director as well in this debut film) who you may have seen in Netflix’s BONDiNG (my first exposure to her work), NBC’s New Amsterdam and the new show The Chair working beside Sandra Oh. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Queen of Glory is currently showing at the Mill Valley Film Fest both in person and virtually. Catch it in theaters on 10/16 or virtually until 10/17; get tickets here.
Head over to the MVFF festival coverage page to read and discover more fantastic films.