Petite maman (2021)
(Petite Maman)
Country: FR
Technical: col 72m
Director: Céline Sciamma
Cast: Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphane Varupenne
Synopsis:
When her grandmother dies, a young girl returns with her parents to clear the house of belongings, and for whatever reason - her mother's birthday, her grandmother's walking stick, or herself having the same age as her mother when she underwent her operation for a club foot - she meets her mother's former self with whom she shares a few days' idyll.
Review:
A film about the through line of generations, the power of places in our lives and that special period of childhood (8 years here) when really important memories are laid down. Sciamma avoids the common tropes of ghostly stories, even having her ghost visible to other parties; only the house itself subtly changes back and forth. The twin sisters who play the mother and daughter are a marvel, and the pared back aesthetic seen in Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire again provides a focus on mood and performance. Worth seeing alongside Ponette (1996), another view of childhood bereavement.
(Petite Maman)
Country: FR
Technical: col 72m
Director: Céline Sciamma
Cast: Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphane Varupenne
Synopsis:
When her grandmother dies, a young girl returns with her parents to clear the house of belongings, and for whatever reason - her mother's birthday, her grandmother's walking stick, or herself having the same age as her mother when she underwent her operation for a club foot - she meets her mother's former self with whom she shares a few days' idyll.
Review:
A film about the through line of generations, the power of places in our lives and that special period of childhood (8 years here) when really important memories are laid down. Sciamma avoids the common tropes of ghostly stories, even having her ghost visible to other parties; only the house itself subtly changes back and forth. The twin sisters who play the mother and daughter are a marvel, and the pared back aesthetic seen in Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire again provides a focus on mood and performance. Worth seeing alongside Ponette (1996), another view of childhood bereavement.
(Petite Maman)
Country: FR
Technical: col 72m
Director: Céline Sciamma
Cast: Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphane Varupenne
Synopsis:
When her grandmother dies, a young girl returns with her parents to clear the house of belongings, and for whatever reason - her mother's birthday, her grandmother's walking stick, or herself having the same age as her mother when she underwent her operation for a club foot - she meets her mother's former self with whom she shares a few days' idyll.
Review:
A film about the through line of generations, the power of places in our lives and that special period of childhood (8 years here) when really important memories are laid down. Sciamma avoids the common tropes of ghostly stories, even having her ghost visible to other parties; only the house itself subtly changes back and forth. The twin sisters who play the mother and daughter are a marvel, and the pared back aesthetic seen in Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire again provides a focus on mood and performance. Worth seeing alongside Ponette (1996), another view of childhood bereavement.