User reviews

'Petite Maman (2021)' is an extremely low-key movie about a young girl who makes a new friend while staying at her recently deceased grandmother's house as her parents sort through the late matriarch's belongings. Even its subtle but significant fantastical elements (the exact nature of which are suitably ambiguous) are presented in a very realistic, down-to-earth way. It may very well just be the first social-realist children's fantasy film I've ever seen and it works far better than it perhaps ought to. Its lack of exaggeration allows it to hit home especially hard, as it feels like an experience that almost all of us will be able to relate to on some level. It acts as a sort of pseudo nostalgic retrospection for adults and, I'd imagine, an in-the-moment reflection of reality for children. Because of this, I actually think that it would be a good flick to watch with your own kids, especially since it deals with themes surrounding the relationship between parent and child. It isn't sappy like most movies dealing with a similar subject; in fact, it has a rather potent underpinning of melancholy to it. This sadness is profound yet benevolent, a representation of the slightly intangible and partially existential dread that inevitably exists on the fringes of everybody's own existence. The film posits that sadness is simply a part of life, something to be dealt with as it arises rather than pushed deep down below the surface. At the same time, the flick isn't even close to dour (evidence of that can be found in the genuine joy it is able to inspire simply by portraying the innocent laughter of children). It just represents reality as most of us experience it: flawed, somewhat monotonous and filled with ups and downs. There's an uplifting vibe to the overall affair and it all actually feels rather poignant. Though it isn't the most straightforwardly exciting or compelling piece, it does have a distinct effect and lingers with you for quite a while after it is over. It's a lovely film, despite its motifs of sadness and grief. It's also pretty unique in its own way. It's really good. 7/10.

Petite Maman is a very understated, reflective, and almost meditative film.

Celine Sciamma uses her stripped back and beautiful film making to highlight the characters and their relationships in such sensitive way.

We follow a young girl dealing with grief and loss, which is explored through a poignantly played out time travel scenario.

It's a very short film, but with a lot of emotion, power, and humour packed in.

The two young leads are great, and with not much of a supporting cast at all they had to be.

A beautiful story with beautiful direction. Lovely.

Great movie! A wonderfull masterpiece of love, loss, magic and time.

This director surprises me more and more, with her delicate stories, her sensitive photography, and this film is a clear example of what she can create.

From the writer-director of Portrait of a Lady on Fire comes yet another tender, touching & heartfelt drama fantasy that may not have the same intense, intoxicating passion brewing under the surface but it sure exhibits a similar intimacy in its approach. Petite Maman is a delicately crafted story that looks at love, loss, grief & innocence through the eyes of an 8-year old girl.

Written & directed by Céline Sciamma, the film is only 70 mins long and follows a young girl coping with the death of her grandmother by bonding with her mother. Sciamma's nuanced portrait of childhood & imagination allows her to address the necessary themes by merging harsh realism with fantastical escape, thus preserving the innocence & purity of youth, while narrating her tale with sensitivity.

Despite the brief runtime, Sciamma never hurries through the proceedings and lets the story unfold & unravel at its own pace. The film is also shot with elegance, told with compassion & benefits from sincere performances from the whole cast. Joséphine Sanz plays her part with emotional honesty under Sciamma's supervision and she is well-supported by her twin sister who plays the 8-year old version of her mother.

Overall, Petite Maman finds beauty in simplicity and is another fascinating addition to Céline Sciamma's oeuvre. A sweet & poignant story about coping & bonding between a daughter & her mother that's rendered on screen with unfailing warmth & tenderness, Sciamma's latest is as arresting on visual fronts as it is stirring on the emotional scale, and doesn't make the mistake of overstaying its welcome. Definitely recommended.

Watch this one with a box of tissues. A big one. Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) has lost her grandma. Saying goodbye at the nursing home, it's a solemn start, but I swear if you're not also smiling within 5 minutes, check your pulse. Staying with her mother and father in the old family home in the French countryside, as they clear the place. It's autumnal, reflective, melancholic. The house although sparse looking, is full of memories for mum, and exciting discoveries for Nelly. Most notably Marion (Gabrielle Sanz, yes related), who she meets building a hut out of branches in the woods around the house. Marion isn't just any girl. She's special. She's magical. Giving Nelly an insight to help her grieve and find out things about herself. It's wonderful. Truly. Both the girls are fantastic on screen and the whole thing looks calmly beautiful. Nelly knows something isn't quite right, but it's not eerie, it's rated U after all. It doesn't dumb things down for a younger audience either though. It's intelligent, sophisticated, perfectly paced. I won't say any more than that. Director Céline Sciamma has created something quite fantastic. With a final scene that left me smiling through the tears.

Celine Sciamma's follow-up to the beloved Portrait of a Lady on Fire is unfortunately one I've got mixed feelings about.

It undeniably has a unique premise, gets some great performances out of its young actors, and is very well shot (great use of colours, outdoor locations, and lighting just as in Portrait). But for whatever reason, I found this to be a really tedious watch, despite its short length.

Scenes stretch on for an eternity, the pacing feels deliberately glacial, and the lack of music really hurt it, in my opinion. Comparing it to Portrait, the lack of music in that one until near the end felt like an artistic choice that paid off, but an almost identical strategy is used here and it just feels uninspired (it's a great scene, and just made me wish there'd been some more music in the film to give it just a tiny bit more life).

For as well made as it is in many respects, it was just too slow and uninvolving with its story for me. I can't rate it too low because of how good the two young twins are, and how great the visuals can be, but the areas I liked weren't enough to keep me interested or invested for the whole runtime. Without a little extra something added into the narrative, I think this would have worked better as a short film.

As "Petite Maman" (2021 release from France; 72 min) opens, 8 yo Nelly and her mom Marion are dealing with the recent passing of Marion's mom/Nelly's grandmother. The grandmother's house contains tons of childhood memories and things. Once day while playing in the nearby woods, Nelly meets another 8 yo girl, whose name is Marion...

Couple of comments; this is the latest from French writer-director Celine Sciamma ("Portrait of a Lady on Fire"). Here Sciamma looks at how an 8 yo girl processes the loss of her grandmother. "I never get to say a proper goodbye", she laments to her mom. Things really get interesting when Nelly meets 8 yo Marion. The scale of the movie may be small, but its emotional reach is enormous. I was completely blown away by the lead performances of the young twins (Joséphine Sanz as Nelly and Gabrielle Sanz as Marion). In case you are wondering whether the movie's short running time hurts the viewing experience, don't worry. The movie comes to a natural close and you will be surprised how deeply invested you had become with these characters.

"Petite Maman" premiered at the 2021 Berlinale to immediate and widespread critical acclaim. If the movie get a US theatrical release, it certainly didn't make it to where I live (in Cincinnati.). Fortunately, the movie started streaming on Hulu just a few days ago, and that is where I caught it. If you are in the mood for a top notch foreign movie about dealing with grief from a young girl's perspective, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

Petite Maman is a warm bundle of cinematic magic. Director Celina Sciamma's French coming of age sci-fi hybrid never gets too bogged down in tedious specifics of its fantastical set-up. Petit Maman bends time to tell the story about the bond between a daughter and her mother that transcends it.

Petite Maman, which I had the pleasure of seeing at the Middleburg Film Festival, centers itself around a little girl named Nelly (Josephine Sanz) and her family, reeling after the death of a loved one, as they spend some time in Nelly's mother's childhood home. Nelly's mother leaves the family behind in the midst of the immense grief she's suffering, leaving her husband and daughter with little idea of when she'll return. In the meantime, Nelly ventures into the woods, where she meets and begins to pal around with a young girl, who she learns, by some twist of cosmic fate, is a much younger version of her own mother, who faces trials of her own. A single stretch of woods bridges decades between them. Together, they try to help each other cope in these moments of personal turmoil and Nelly can maybe get to understand why her mother left and what she's going through. This movie quite literally follows its two leads after their meeting, making food, building forts, making believe. Petit Maman uses those pastimes of youth to hit audiences with a surprisingly layered exploration of something as monumental as grief from a kid's perspective.

I loved, loved, loved the setup of this movie-it doesn't ever seek to explain how Nelly and this younger version of her mother meet in terms of time and space, but it uses that heightened concept to speak to something more human. Here, two children reckon with fear and their powerlessness in the conflicts they face, and in the comfort and security they give each other lies the courage to face them.

The lesson of Petite Maman is just to be there for the people you love in times of great difficulty.

I give Petite Maman 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. It's an understated, but moving little gem that I hope doesn't escape people's radar. By Benjamin P., KIDS FIRST!

I think "miraculous" is the most accurate word i can use to describe this movie. Petite Maman is incredibly simple in its story but at the same time incredibly impactful and utterly beautiful. Reminded me so much about how it actually feels to be a child in a way that i had never felt with any another movie.

... just like eight year old Nelly, whose vivid imagination is brought to life when she meets her doppelganger Marion after her mother absents herself from her life for a few days. Beautifully filmed and acted, it may get you reflecting on your own perceptions of the world when you were that age or even as you got older, if you were lucky enough to carry that imagination with you.

A hot take: this really needed more Totoro or Cat-Bus. Wouldn't it have been something to see Marion and/or Nelly chilling out on the belly of a cute little troll with black wood sprites flying about?

My comparison to Miyazaki isn't some big leap or accident as Celine Sciamma has been up front about the inspirations for her film. What I took from this was maybe something that is perhaps an extrapolation of how it was made which is, since it has to be in 2020 into early 2021, a Covid-era pandemic movie. That it begins with a little girl saying Au revoir to several seniors at an old age home from which her grandma just died (don't forget as the cliche and song go the Children are the Future) can't be completely accidental or coincidental, and if she wrote it in some sense as a way of coping or reckoning with this period in time I get it. That it's also about the girl/Nelly's mother going away to some operation tracks back to Totoro and that idea of expressing a childhood point of view but with a dollop of surrealism/magic realism (spoiler, the other little girl, who is played by the performer's twin, is supposed to be not simply a little friend but the title character).

I find coming to this after it seems practically everyone else I follow critically has watched it and heaped buckets of praise on it that I'm somewhat outside the pack simply calling it *good* and not some total masterwork (my better half couldn't stand it but that's another story). I come to this also as a big fan of 'Portrait' and had high hopes for whatever she had to offer. I like Sciamma as a director, I like how she has a gentle and delicate sensibility with her performers and has these patient frames. From my limited perspective on her style (only seen these two for now) you're either completely immersed in her existential cinematic grammar or you're not. I was here up to a point, but wanted something.... more. Or perhaps even less.

At 70 minutes this is a thin slice of storytelling, but that's hardly a negative. Authors for centuries have created novellas and short novels that contain multitudes on the human condition. Maybe some of my lack of connection here is not for disliking what she does so much as what is not here or left out. This is a story that has grief as a theme, but aside from a couple of instances where the little girls have fun making pancakes or spitting out a little bit of bad soup, they're restrained... maybe so restrained that it feels uneasy at times. Maybe that's part of the point, but I had to wonder if it was because these are girls who haven't acted much before that Sciamma had them do less because she knew they couldn't or simply by design of the script.

Either way there is that and also the distinct lack of music. That of course, as in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, leads to an astonishing point where music does come in near the end. But aside from that and maybe one other small moment there isn't any score here, and it's so quiet that it's maybe too quiet for a story about girls (yes even as one is the Maman) who form a connection. Or to put it another way, it's a story with a kind of slightly heightened magical sense, maybe akin to something out of Rivette, and it's played so straight that ALL the work is on us as the audience to interpret. Again, I don't mind that work, but even at 70 minutes it asks a lot emotionally.

I don't mean to give the impression I wasnt captivated by this or admire it as I certainly do, but perhaps it edges to being slightly overrated as well. As either a short film at 30 minutes or a longer feature it could either condense its ideas into something still as profound but more to the point (still keeping her patience and time in scenes), or as a longer feature with more time with Nelly and/or Marion and the parents. It's a gentle little movie that is pretty and in its own muted dimensions charming, but I don't see it staying with me as long as her other film and didn't hit the kind of chord maybe I'm just looking for more after these last two years (ironically Portrait was one of the last films I saw in a theater before lockdown).

I wanted to like this but I'm really disappointed. No, I'm not a blockbusters-only person and no, I don't have have anything against foreign films (Another Round, A Sun, Bacurau and Beasts Clawing at Straws are all on my top-10 of 2020). This isn't just my cup of tea.

I struggled with the pace...like a lot! So much than on the 2nd act I was totally tired of it and not even connecting the most basic things on the story. The acting is good, the cinematography beautiful, but...(I hate to read and say this) I was totally bored with the absence of some tension/conflict.

The third act is good, but unfortunately - and probably because I was already totally out of it - I didn't feel any emotional punch. I would like to say that it can grow on a 2nd watch but I don't think that will happen.

Celine Sciamma's sensitive and superb PETITE MAMAN is akin to a novella for inquisitive children. Like all good bedtime stories, it's made out of seemingly ordinary events and adventures, yet delivers graceful wisdom. Sciamma creates an intimate world where a litte magic can prosper.

Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) is at her grandmother's house helping her parents sort out the estate. Her mother (Nina Meurisse) grew up there. During her stay, Nelly plays on the same grounds as her mother and befriends another eight-year old girl, Marion (played by Josephine's sister, Gabrielle). Their bond becomes very close even during the brief time they have together.

As with Sciamma's PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, the Director (who also penned the screenplay) doesn't employ a background score, choosing to let the natural sounds of wind and rain to create the mood. There are also are abundant silences. When a cheekily titled pop song (La Musique du Futur; lyrics by Sciamma) plays on the soundtrack it bursts with an extra force as it breaks the spell. Claire Mathon's cinematography is exquisite without ever drawing attention. The movie is efficiently edited, but, never feels rushed, the filmmaker confident that the backstory can easily be imagined without showing every beat.

PETITE MAMAN, like PORTRAIT is a story about women with the only male being the father (Stéphane Varupenne). The female characters represent three stages of motherhood: the past, the present and the future. With a run-time of 72 minutes, one might expect the simplicity to allow for only a superficial treatment of its themes, but, Sciamma turns it into a virtue. Life is short - embrace those around you while you can. The emotionally resonant final exchange consists of only two simple words, but entire lifetimes are implied. PETITE MAMAN is not only about sayign Au Revoir, but, also, Allo.

First, this film is beautiful to look at. They really got this film's tone to look and feel just right, and it showcases the story perfectly.

I am a huge fan of grounded film-work that is rooted in reality as much as possible. Director Céline Sciamma accomplishes this without question, but this may be the first time I say that it's accomplished a little too well. The script and the actors were so enchanting that they kept me invested, but I can imagine that certain audiences might find themselves falling asleep if they didn't know what they were in for.

I highly recommend that anyone give this movie a watch so they can form their own opinions. There's definitely a little something for everyone here.

After the worldwide success of her last film Portrait of Lady on Fire, French arthouse director Céline Sciamma returns to the feature film world with a fantastical childhood drama that touches on some huge themes while never becoming overbearing or overstaying its welcome.

Clocking in at a refreshingly brisk 72 minutes, the BAFTA nominated Petite Maman is a film that viewers should intend to watch with as little knowledge as possible as while it may at first seem as though Sciamma's film is heading down a well-trodden path that we have seen numerous times before when dramas explore childhood and how children deal with death, life and parental bonds, Maman takes viewers to places that aren't always predictable creating a touching little experience that will strike a chord with many.

All taking place in the slowly paced manner that has become a staple of Sciamma's films both recent and long past, Maman is never in a rush to explore the meaning of young girl Nelly's friendship with the mysterious Marion whom she meets in the woods that run close by to her deceased grandmother's estate but when the questions to this relationship begin to become apparent there's a whole new layer of emotion and intrigue that is sure to leave viewers wanting to explore this story more even after the credits have rolled.

Front and centre within Sciamma's drama is two adorable performances from the Sanz siblings who both deliver above average performances as Nelly and Marion.

With much of the film forgoing too much interaction with those in their adult years, much of the heavy lifting of the film is handled by the Sanz girls with the two actors and Sciamma ensuring that while the story they are telling is heavy in subject, Maman never tries and loads up with intense or overbearing material making this a tale with a adult subject matter but an accessible and all-ages delivery.

Final Say -

A short, sharp and small film with a notable beating heart, Petite Maman has familiar elements but director Céline Sciamma and her impressive young duo make sure this is a memorable French film with many layers to unpack once all is said and done.

3 1/2 treehouses out of 5.

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

This is just as beautifully shot and made as "Portrait of a Lady on Fire," but as light and unimpactful as Portrait is heavy and deeply moving. It seems like a kind of movie just for mothers and daughters, which is fine. The twin girl actresses were adorable in the scenes where they get to be themselves and goof around.

Céline Sciamma's directorial debut 'Water lilies' impressed me with how very good it was, more than first meets the eye. Her last film, 2019's 'Portrait of a lady on fire,' is not just an instant absolute favorite of mine, but in my mind is also unquestionably one of the very best movies ever made. On the strength of these I'm certainly keen to explore the rest of Sciamma's career, and see whatever she might do in the future. Though it may not immediately grab one's attention in quite the same way, 2021's 'Petite maman' readily illustrates once again the filmmaker's terrifically keen eye for arranging shots and scenes. There's an unswerving, simple beauty of film-making and storytelling in nigh every moment: an astonishing wealth of information is communicated to us about the characters, scenario, and plot while presenting us with very little beyond the actors' presence, Sciamma's sharp shot composition, and Claire Mathon's rich cinematography. Before even seven minutes have passed I've already started to fall in love.

Even with so few films under her proverbial belt it's indisputably clear just how masterful Sciamma is in her craft. This feature, like her others, is defined by a stark, heartfelt earnestness in both the tale and its telling, seen primarily but not exclusively in the depths and intricacies of the characters and the relationships between them (whatever their nature). As a writer she gives us stories that are unremittingly lovely and inescapably enchanting, even as they may be sad, tragic, or otherwise less than happy; characters who are real, believable, and sympathetic flesh and blood; and dialogue and scene writing that are so terrifically flavorful that near every line and distinct scene is almost enough to tell a full story in and of itself. In 'Petite maman' we're given grief, love, family, childhood innocence and imagination, friendship, and more - superb even on their own, but truly splendid when swirled together, not least in an uncomplicated tale of light but unmistakable fantasy. Whether in the setting of an idyllic wood or a cozy home, discretely advancing the story or just showing us the life of young protagonist Nelly, there's a nourishing warmth pervading the feature, as true in the screenplay as in Sciamma's refined, fastidious realization of it as director.

Quiet and unembellished as the movie is, informing the performances in turn, the cast is a joy. Sisters Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz, especially, light up the screen with a perfectly natural, gleeful playfulness, and a sincerity of no pretense, that are wholly unsaddled with the same industry knowledge and worldly experience of their older costars. And really, that rather speaks to the tenor of the feature overall - so unassuming, so unbothered in its plot and the conveyance thereof, yet entirely magnificent exactly as it is. Even still, all this comes to fruition only with the utmost intelligence, passion, and care poured into every last iota - and Sciamma and her cast and crew inarguably possess more than all the greatest of skills that are required to see it through. To be frank, I wasn't sure what I was sitting for when I decided to watch this, but I should have known to trust my past experience with the filmmaker: 'Petite maman' is a masterpiece. If all the effusive praise I've already offered isn't convincing, if all the high regard and accolades bestowed upon Sciamma and her other projects aren't convincing, then I don't know what ever would be. Clocking in at not even 75 minutes, this doesn't occupy much of our time, but it lives on in our minds long, long after the digital timer has expired.

You need to watch this, and there's all there is to it. Thank you, Céline Sciamma. My highest possible recommendation.

Poignant and quiet French fantasy drama that subsequently connected the dots between grappling and bonding although Céline Sciamma played with slow-footed ambiguity most of the times. Sanz twins and their act of innocence in daily manners won audience over.

A lovely little bit of magical realism about a lonely young girl who finds a way to interact with the child version of her own mother over the course of a sweet couple of days.

"Petite Maman" is only about an hour and 15 minutes long, but it packs a lot into that short running time. Mostly it's about the extent to which we do or don't understand our own parents, and the gaps that lack of understanding give to our lives. But it's also about the ways in which we fail our children by letting our personal demons from the past interfere with the here and now. This movie quietly but perfectly conveys the transitory quality of childhood, and the melancholy that comes from both no longer being a child yourself and from realizing that you might not have completely enjoyed your own children while you could. It made me want to immediately go hug my kids and spend time doing something with them.

Grade: A.

Short, delicate, original, heartfelt, poetic, touching, sensitive, reflective, magical, emotional, simple, and beautifully made.

There's only one scene with music and when the song came on I couldn't help but let out the tears I had been holding in.

Perfect Mother's Day movie and I think if I was a mother/daughter this would have obliterated me.

Lovely in cinematography and the acting of the two girls. But there is so little that is explained that could have made it deeper. So much time was spent on watching/listening to people eat, brush their teeth, etc., etc., and just a little of that time could have been spent in creating scenes that explained just a little of the background story. The end result for me and my companion was boredom, which is a shame.

Good god, I really wanted to like this film. The acting is great by the child leads and the concept is an interesting one. However, there are far too many scenes that just focus on the children laying in bed, or small scenes that honestly creeped me out more than made me feel for these characters. It did make me tear up in a few scenes, but those scenes were about the best parts of the movie. The rest of the film is basically the child actors doing random things that didn't advance the plot in any way. There's also a very strange scene towards the end where the children row into a pyramid structure and it was quite possibly the weirest thing I've seen put to film. Considering how the structure is painted and the way the children looked so bewildered by being inside of it was very off putting. I get this is a french film, but at the same time, it was just creepy and weird. I recommend to french film lovers, they might get more out of it than I did. 2.5 remembrances out of 5.