Exploring Familial Bonds: A Film Review of Malia Ann's 'The Heart' at Sundance 2024
Review of Malia Ann's film "The Heart."
Malia Ann's 2024 Sundance Film Festival debut short film "The Heart" packs a lot of emotion into just a few scenes, frames, and bits of conversation. Malia's film, which she wrote and directed, tells the story of the seemingly empty and desolate relationship between a son and his mother, shown within a sepia-toned 2-bedroom house, unremarkable in their dual and final existence together. The father is unknown, and you don't even bother to question his absence because the relationship between the mother and son is so thick with exhaustion. "The Heart" represents every child's worst nightmare, where that final conversation with your parent, the last words you've ever said, are not the last words you were told to say. And yet, those last hateful words embed themselves like parasites because you wake up one morning, and your parent has died, leaving no chance for you to ask a question, say you're sorry, or even something as simple as telling them, "You raised me right."
The cinematography of "The Heart" is raw, as if it were shot on a Super-8, almost like an accident or a grainy 70s film. As poignant as this film is, it leaves you questioning the narrative that we are supposed to mourn our dead parents. Should we have regret? Should we actually care? Do love and obligation intersect at all? There's a startling scene in the middle of the film where the son violently shouts at the apparition of his dead mother, and you realize the relationship has always been one of conflict, bitterness, boredom, and fear.
While the son is haunted by his mother's death, the film reminds you of the certainty of a parent's death and that life is fairly short and wicked when you aren't mindful of the present or, at the very least, refuse to have gratitude that someone cares for you at all.
"The Heart" does a beautiful job of uncomfortably exploring the narrative that you are supposed to love your parents and your parents are supposed to love you. It challenges this idea in the form of the reading of a simple will, indicating that the mother understood her ultimate obligation to her son, who didn't ask to be born, by bequeathing him her home, while questioning the true purpose of family in the first place. Is home where the heart is, or is it the reverse? What does this childhood mantra truly mean?
"The Heart" is a promising debut short film. If there is any criticism, it would be that considering it was produced by musical genius Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, I wish Ms. Ann had paid more attention to creating original music, which, for me, could have created a more powerful and memorable film. - JinJa Birkenbeuel