Emmanuelle Nicot (director)
(studio)
15 (certificate)
88 (length)
28 April 2023 (released)
24 April 2023
The film opens with a police raid that leads to the arrest of 12 year old Dalva’s father and her taken into care. Dalva (Zelda Samson) is in hysterics crying for her father not understanding what is going on or why they are splitting them up.
Taken into foster care, Dalva doesn’t find it easy, wanting to see her father and initially has problems with her roommate Samia (Fanta Guirassy). She stands out from Samia and the other children in the home by dressing as an adult (as per her father’s wishes) with adult mannerisms.
Her social worker Jayden (Alexis Manenti) does manage to establish some sort of relationship, and with Samia maybe try to fill the void of love that Dalva is convinced she had with her father. This has some disastrous effects though slowly Dalva begins to understand what her situation is.
A complicated story of incest, abuse and manipulation, debut writer and director Emmanuelle Nicot manages to present the horror of Dalva’s life and her subsequent rehabilitation in a sensitive manner that leaves the viewer incredulous of the cruelty inflicted on the child, deeply troubled but then later on with a bright ray of hope for her.
It’s a delicate area as Dalva is a victim, and has been led to believe she is an adult and to behave, (or trained) to act like one for her father and his desires. At first there’s no confusion, on her part; she’s clear in her mind about their relationship, and she insists that she wants to see him. But this conditioning later leads to confusion and a misjudgement when dealing with people whom she sees as her equals, adults.
Zelda Samson in her debut and not a professional actor is astonishing in a complex role as a kidadult, at once so sure of herself and her father then increasingly vulnerable as she gets to know Samia and the others in the foster home. The key here is that the focus is on Dalva and her coming to terms with the damage that has been done her by her father Jacques (Jean-Louis Coulloch’) of whom we thankfully see little.
Love According to Dalva will be in UK cinemas from 28 April 2023.
