LFF 2021: Queen of Glory
LFF 2021Writer, director and star Nana Mensah's Queen of Glory is a tender exploration of culture and family. A feature that explores itself in a contextual and freeing motif also acts as an educational and informative tool in exploring the depths and layers of cultural pride.
The personal attribute of exploring is quite intoxicating to behold through Mensah's film, feeling as much as an exploration of culture and thus a celebration as it is for its audience. That very immersion intertwines the character and audience into a wonderful symbiotic relationship, as the film uncovers and details the exploration of race, faith, and the trials and tribulations of family.
To Nana Mensah's credit, the writer-director and star does not undercut or simply state proceeding in this feature as mere conventional exploits. Queen of Glory has dark, layered and brooding moments of profound substance. Mensah's Sarah Obeng is not perfect, and this examination is not just a checklist exploit but churns through the murky waters of life. Double standards and contradictions are galore, but what makes these elements and arc the more compelling is that it all feels authentic and human. Mensah constructs her lead character on these principles and, in turn, crafts a dynamic and rich performance that evolves and grows on screen.
This ideal and thematic weight of grief and the empathy of life that follows is backed in a comedic and sharp screenplay, but with an edge – exploring deep underlying themes of regret, satisfaction and, more sincerely, the examination of faith. This palette is formed terrifically well in the writing department from Mensah, who brings a dynamic palette to proceedings and understands when to facilitate brevity and pause with reflection in the moments of emotive substance.
The feature also captures the brooding and often disruptive tectonic nature of setting and place with Cybel Martin's cinematography. The streets and chaos of New York only add to the fury and ferociousness of time passing by and the questioning of morality becoming eerily evident.
All around, Nana Mensah's feature Queen of Glory is an impressive piece of cinema, but for a directorial debut, it impresses ten-fold with a rich tapestry of self and charisma present that constructs a personalised albeit shared exploration of faith and culture. It will undoubtedly be exciting to see in which direction Mensah's future head towards, as through three palettes of direction, writing, and acting she is steadily showcasing a growing eager talent.
