The latest film from acclaimed French writer/director Céline Sciamma (“Girlhood,” “My Life as a Courgette”) has arrived and after the massive worldwide success of her previous feature, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”, there are plenty of eyes on this one. The attention is well-deserved: her latest, “Petite Maman” is a sweet little delight, a story of mothers and daughters and playing that comes with an extremely short runtime and an extremely carefree energy.
“Maman” follows Nelly, played by Joséphine Sanz, an eight year old girl who goes to her grandmother’s home with her mother, played by Nina Meurisse (“A Woman’s Life,” “The Frozen Dead”), and father, played by Stéphane Varupenne, and finds herself playing with a young girl named Marion, played by Gabrielle Sanz, in the woods.
It’s the kind of movie that the most casual, mainstream moviegoer will easily scoff at; a seventy-two-minute long movie about two girls playing in the woods with little actual “plot” and a lot of meandering and little dialogue? While all of that is true, this is the sort of movie that’s the filmic equivalent of a tone poem. Not a lot strictly happens, but so much is communicated on an emotional level. It’s no mistake that NEON decided to release this in US theatres on Mother’s Day weekend.
Joséphine and Gabrielle are the perfect kind of child actors: the kind where you can’t tell if they’re aware that they’re acting. So much of the film is seeing the world through the eyes of an eight year old girl and it's mesmerizing. The little moments of independence and kindness shine through, and it feels like an oddly different experience than you might think. Extended moments of the two of them making food or playing together are just warm smiles turned into cinema. Meurisse is incredible. The few moments where she’s onscreen are packed with so much emotion and subtle acting that it’s awe-inspiring. It’s the kind of performance you wish took up more of the film based purely on how good and sparse it is.
Musically, the film also impresses. It uses one song, from French musician Para One, in three different ways at differing points throughout, each creating a different impact based on the way they’re crafted musically and woven into the film itself. It’s a simple but remarkably effective use of a great track.
Despite how wonderful it is, the film’s lightness makes it difficult to really critique or talk about. It’s fully deserving of the lavish praise that’s been heaped upon it, but there’s not really much to say about it either. It’s like a sweet poem or a cup of warm tea. Rather, if you have a younger sibling or cousins, it can most directly be compared to being led around by a younger family member who points out all the little things and details you never noticed as an adult.
“Petite Maman” is the kind of sweet film that's incredibly simple at its core but so emotionally evocative and powerful. The two leads are just so lovable and it's the kind of warm film that just washes over you and then is over. If anything, it could be just a bit longer. But, even without that, this is a soothing salve for an increasingly angry and loud cinematic market; the kind of calm, sweet, funny, film that makes you want to give your mom a big hug. In the absolute best interpretation of the word, its childish. 4.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment