She did not make any publicity about her relationship with the former President of the United States. It was simply under the name of Malia Ann that the eldest daughter of Michelle and Barack Obama came to the Deauville American Film Festival to present The Hearta short film awarded the New Generation Prize.
In all discretion
The 26-year-old young woman was rather discreet in Deauville in her beautiful Vivienne Westwood outfit. She did not give an interview and never mentioned the names of her parents and sister, whom she nevertheless thanked in her speech. Moved when she was presented with her trophy, she was just as moved after the screening, where she was applauded by an audience most of whom did not know the identity of her illustrious parents.
A family story
The Heart shares the distress of a young man who feels responsible for his mother’s death. All it takes is a forgotten bottle of milk for a scene to break out between the young man and his mother. The latter succumbs to a heart attack and leaves a surprising inheritance to her son: her savings and her heart in a jar. Enough to add to the distress of a boy with unpredictable reactions. This is the first production of Malia Ann who had participated as a screenwriter in the series Swarm (2023).
A cumbersome name
It is difficult to give a completely objective opinion on this short film of eighteen minutes that seem very long. It is impossible not to think that the young director owes, at least partially, her trophy to her surname that she tried to hide but whose secret was quickly revealed. She would certainly not be the subject of this article if she were an “average” director…
A promising first name
Actually, The Heart is neither better nor worse than many “shorts” made by young filmmakers. It moves with its clumsiness, irritates with its drops in pace, touches with its sincerity but makes you want to follow the career of Malia Ann whose first name may end up eclipsing the name Obama. We hope at least that her relationship with her mother Michelle is less complicated than that which the hero of her film has with his own.
