The delicate, nuanced performance from 6-year-old Louise Mauroy-Panzani as a child coming to terms with her nanny suddenly leaving is the highlight of “Àma Gloria,” a softly subdued film about life lessons and their harsh reality. It’s a story of love and loss between a child and her nanny, a relationship built on mutual respect and admiration.
Cléo (Mauroy-Panzani) loves her nanny, Gloria (Ilça Moreno Zego), more than anything in the entire world. When Gloria gets news that her own children need her back home, she must return to Cape Verde. This proves difficult for Cléo, who is faced with saying goodbye to the strongest maternal figure in her life. The two share a love and companionship that makes the inevitable separation so difficult, and Gloria and Cléo find themselves tasked with making the most of their last summer together.
Writer – director Marie Amachoukeli-Barsacq’s story is simple yet also complex, dealing with the intricate shifting emotions of the two lead characters. The film’s observational and reflective style is slow-moving, but it also conveys the agony of the upcoming separation.
Amachoukeli-Barsacq breaks up the live action drama with lyrical animated scenes that look like paintings come to life, but the heart and soul of the film is the relationship between Cleo and Gloria. She is the beloved “parent” to this child, and it’s so sad to see their struggles with farewell.
“Àma Gloria” is a quietly reflective film about the relationships that ground us and the importance of family, blood related or not.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 