REVIEW: 'Petite Maman' (2021, Celine Sciamma)

Rarely do you come across a film that is so breathtaking for its simplicity.

Packaged in a neat and emotionally rich 1-hour-12-minute runtime—another rarity these days—Petite Maman is a tiny masterpiece from French auteur Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire).

Sciamma focuses on 8-year-old Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) in the aftermath of her grandmother’s death. She, along with her mother, Marion (Nina Meurisse), and father (Stéphane Varupenne), soon travel to her grandma’s house, and her mother’s childhood home, in the countryside, to clean it out.

 
There, in the fairytale-like house in the woods, is where the magic happens. But no special effects are seen. Sciamma’s economical, minimalist take on grief, compassion, and understanding transpire in the power of her imaginative storytelling.

Nelly, like any child, is perceptive of her mother’s sadness. She, too, is sad. But Sciamma avoids emotionally overt scenes; instead allows their pain to be felt in small actions and quiet moments.

When Nelly ventures into the woods behind the house, she meets a girl her age, who looks exactly like her (Gabriella Sanz). Interestingly, the little girl’s name is also Marion, just like Nelly’s mother—who coincidentally disappears into the night.

As the two children form a connection, with their friendship blossoming over constructing a hut and mounting a short play, Nelly tells Marion a revelation. This promptly leads to their individual healing.

Sciamma utilizes elements of science-fiction and fantasy—again, with no special effects—to explore a child’s perspective on her mother’s inner world.

This is a daughter’s movie, providing relatable insight into the intergenerational relationship among women in the family and their misunderstood sufferings. As the past and the future blend into the present, Nelly and Marion are gifted with the knowledge of some secrets that will help them navigate (and survive) through life’s sorrows.

Sciamma, once again teamed up with her Portrait cinematographer Claire Mathon, strip the movie of stylish imagery. They cleverly opt to lens the spellbinding story in delicate rawness; using primary colors in contrast with nature’s softer palette. Sun dapples, rain, rustling leaves…it’s like a children's storybook come alive, but with mature, universal themes.

The Sanz twins, who play Nelly and Marion, are captivating; Sciamma allows their innocence to shine through and conjures moments of infinite tenderness, with sparse yet powerful dialogue that will surely move you to tears.

5/5 stars