Dalva (Zelda Samson) wears her honey-coloured hair in a soigné updo; her wardrobe consists of little black cocktail dresses and lace. Which would be fine, except for the fact that Dalva is just 12 and has been shaped and brainwashed by her predatory paedophile father. At the very start of the film, in a harrowingly raw scene, the police and social services rescue Dalva from the home she shares with her abuser. Conditioned by her father to believe herself to be one half of a great love affair, Dalva pines and struggles to connect with the other kids in the residential home where she is placed.
It’s an uncomfortable watch, but this assured French-language debut from director Emmanuelle Nicot negotiates its disturbing subject matter with delicacy, sensitivity and honesty. In the central role, the magnetic Samson is a revelation.
