Queen of Glory

Nana Mensah stars in her directorial debut about a Ghanaian-American scientist who returns to her birthplace in The Bronx.

Although already established as an actress through work for stage, TV and films and despite also having written some episodes for TV serials, Nina Mensah's true breakthrough is undoubtedly Queen of Glory. She wrote it herself and her performance in the central role, that of Sarah Obeng, is pitch perfect. That alone would make it a notable item on her CV, but there is more to it than that since this feature film also marks her debut as director and in that capacity too she exhibits huge potential.

Mensah was born in Connecticut but her parents came from Ghana and she has chosen to give us a highly atmospheric work set in New York City but with its prime focus on Ghanaian Americans and on that part of the Bronx which is home to that community. When we first encounter Sarah, she is a doctoral student at Columbia University. She is involved with a scientist, Lyle (Adam Leon), and their relationship is serious enough for her to be planning to move with him to Ohio where he has been offered a post. He has yet to divorce his wife but, subject to that happening, her future seems to be settled. But then comes a disruption: Sarah learns of the sudden death of her mother, Grace, who had been running a religious bookstore in the Bronx, ‘King of Glory’, which Sarah inherits under her mother’s will.

For all the shared influence of their Ghanaian roots, Sarah’s lifestyle and outlook are very different from those of her mother and she quickly plans to sell the shop. However, she dutifully accepts the responsibility for cremating Grace, holding a wake and arranging for traditional Ghanaian rites to be held. She realises, perhaps for the first time, just how much the community had loved Grace and, not least, the impact that she had made on the reformed, heavily tattooed ex-con, Pitt (Meeko Gatturo), who had been the shop’s only employee and crucial to the running of it.

Not unlike many a film by Mike Leigh, Queen of Glory combines elements of comedy and drama while portraying everyday lives in a vivid way. Plot as such matters less and, although one might guess at the kind of arc likely in a narrative of this sort, Mensah as writer seems keen to avoid anything too obvious. If what we get instead seems less than fully elaborated, it may be due to the film having been made on a low budget which nevertheless, as I understand it, led to funds running out.

But, if that is less than ideal, it does not matter much in the circumstances. There may be a slight echo of the so-called mumblecore films made in the first decade of this century, but the look here is more stylish, more assured (the film is in colour and ’Scope both used to good effect behind the credit titles and smartly accompanied by the sound of drums). Even more importantly the tone established is ideal and the way in which the characters are presented renders them wonderfully lively and fresh. The whole feel of the Bronx, as epitomised by a street-dealer selling DVDs and by the repeated emphasis on food, is admirably conveyed and the use of ethnic music adds to the Ghanaian flavour although Russian neighbours also play a role. So does Sarah's long absent dad (Oberon K.A. Adjepong) who had made his own life in Ghana but now turns up in New York.

There is an able supporting cast, but it is Mensah herself who stands out, not only for her acting but for her direction. Not everything works perfectly (a couple of long-held static shots used to emphasise the movement of figures on the screen seem too studied while intercut images – some in black and white and some in colour – evoking memories of life in Ghana can feel contrived). But, far more significantly, Mensah shows real directorial flair. You see it in the use of montage sequences and in such adventurous scenes as that in which a key event is handled daringly and brilliantly. Queen of Glory may have its limitations, but both as an actress and as a director Nana Mensah shows here a talent that is quite out of the ordinary.

MANSEL STIMPSON

Cast: Nana Mensah, Meeko Gatturo, Oberon K.A. Adjepong, Adam Leon, Anya Migdal, Emma Kaye, Tarina Milo, Ian Lassiter, Russell G. Jones, Alok Tewari, Purva Bedi, Sharina Martin, Madeline Weinstein.

Dir Nana Mensah, Pro Jamund Washington, Anya Migdal, Kelley Robins and Baff Akoto, Screenplay Nana Mensah, Ph Cybel Martin, Pro Des Katie Hickman, Ed Cooper Troxell.

Cape Coast Media/Recurring Dreams-Bohemia Media.
79 mins. USA. 2021. US Rel: 15 July 2022. UK Rel: 26 August 2022. Cert. 15.