The movie
Dalva
Dalva begins to understand that the love she shared with her father was not what she thought. She will have to learn to be a child again.
Length: 87 min
Country: Belgium, France
Language spoken: French
Language subtitles: Dutch
Cast: Zelda Samson, Fanta Guirassy, Alexis Manenti, Marie Denarnaud
Director: Emmanuelle Nicot
Release date: 2022
Description
Until a police raid, when she’s wrenched from her father and placed under juvenile protection, Dalva (Zelda Samson) is not like other 12-year-old girls. She acts and dresses like a grown woman, and has no idea why she was so roughly taken from her father. With the help of her roommate Samia and her caretakers at the shelter, Dalva will have to learn to be a child again. Gradually, thanks to them, she begins to understand that the love she shared with her father was not what she thought…
The stunning, shocking directorial debut of Emmanuelle Nicot ‘finds room for humour and laughter, for pathos and catharsis. Even as we follow this tightly wound-up girl who fears ever letting her guard down, Nicot encourages us to look at her not with pity but with grace. It’s an astounding feat of filmmaking, particularly for the way it avoids facile moralistic or didactic approaches to telling Dalva’s story.’—Manuel Betancourt, Variety
The stunning, shocking directorial debut of Emmanuelle Nicot ‘finds room for humour and laughter, for pathos and catharsis. Even as we follow this tightly wound-up girl who fears ever letting her guard down, Nicot encourages us to look at her not with pity but with grace. It’s an astounding feat of filmmaking, particularly for the way it avoids facile moralistic or didactic approaches to telling Dalva’s story.’—Manuel Betancourt, Variety
Reviews
"Negotiates its disturbing subject matter with delicacy, sensitivity and honesty”
