Petite Maman

I absolutely loved Portrait of a Lady on Fire so I was very eager to see the latest from Celine Sciamma, Petite Maman.  It seems like I have been waiting forever for it to get a wide release but it is finally playing at the Broadway and I had a chance to see it last night.  Sciamma is two for two with me because I loved Petite Maman just as much as Portrait of a Lady on Fire!  After the death of her maternal grandmother, eight year old Nelly (Josephine Sanz) travels with her mother (Nina Meurisse) and father (Stephane Varupenne) to her mother's childhood home to clear it out.  Nelly asks her mother questions about her childhood, including the location of the fort she once made out of tree branches, but she is too upset to answer her and eventually leaves in the middle of the night without saying goodbye.  While her father clears out the house, Nelly explores the nearby woods and finds a young girl named Marion (Gabrielle Sanz) building a fort out of tree branches.  Nelly begins spending all of her time with Marion building the fort, playing games, and acting out plays.  Marion ultimately helps Nelly understand her mother and helps her say goodbye to her grandmother.  This is such a beautiful film!  It is very slow and deliberate and, at times, it is unclear what is happening but if you are patient you will be rewarded with a beautiful message about love, grief, and the evanescence of childhood.  There are so many scenes that seem really simple, even mundane, on the surface but end up fraught with meaning and I found myself with tears in my eyes on more than one occasion.  The images on the screen are gorgeous, especially when the natural light bathes the fall foliage in the woods with a golden glow.  Finally, Josephine and Gabrielle Sanz give captivating performances and I couldn't take my eyes off of them even when they are simply walking together.  I was incredibly moved by this simple film and I cannot recommend enough!