Petite Maman (2021)

It is time to dive back into the featured Letterboxd Lists. This week we’ll be looking at an entry on the Top 250 Women-Directed list with…Petite Maman (2021).

Title: Petite Maman

Director: Céline Sciamma

Runtime: 1 hour 12 minutes

Released: June 2, 2021 (France)

Available to stream on: Hulu and Kanopy

Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) has just lost her grandmother. Together with her mother, Marion (Nina Meurisse), and father (Stéphane Varupenne) Nelly is off to her grandmother’s old house to clean it out. While at the house, Nelly confesses that her last goodbye to her grandmother wasn’t a good one. Later that night, overcome with emotions, Marion leaves without saying goodbye to Nelly.

The next day, Nelly is playing outside with a paddle and a ball on a string. She accidentally hits the ball too hard and the string breaks, sending the ball flying into the woods. Nelly takes off into the woods in an attempt to find her ball when she stumbles across another child building a cabin in the woods. The little girl, (Gabrielle Sanz), also happens to be named Marion. Marion invites Nelly to help her build the cabin.

A rainstorm rolls in and cuts their time in the woods short. Marion invites Nelly back to her place where they get more acquainted with each other. Nelly tells Marion that she is only here visiting after the death of her grandmother. The two find common ground as Marion tells Nelly that her grandmother also recently passed away. While exploring Marion’s home, Nelly begins to feel like she’s been in the house before. Further, Nelly feels as though she’s managed to step back in time and that Marion is actually a young version of her mother.

What is it that Nelly hopes to find and/or learn by stepping into the past?

Will stepping back in time provide her the chance to redo her final goodbye to her grandmother?

Wow.

Despite being just over an hour long, Petite Maman (2021) packs one heck of a punch.

The performances from both Joséphine and Gabrielle are absolutely incredible. The childlike innocence shines through and draws you in. In doing so, you’re able to easily view the story being told through the eyes of Nelly with ease. Céline Sciamma made the decision to let us live in Nelly’s mind and world. Every action and interaction that occurs serves a subtle purpose all while maintaining the childlike innocence. What made that decision more impactful was the choice to not explain every little thing and how/why it happened or is even feasible. We’re there with Nelly, experiencing it all through her eight-year-old eyes. Spoon-feeding us a reason as to why or how Nelly was doing something would have diminished the overall impact of the story.

One thing that I noticed was the overall lack of music during the film. In this instance, I loved that decision. Not only does the lack of music keep you in the moment, but it also avoids telling you how/what to feel. That task is left to the actresses and again, both Joséphine and Gabrielle rise to the occasion.

The more Petite Maman (2021) sits with me, the more I appreciate it. Easily one of the best films in recent memory that deals with loss, grief, and the attempt to process it all. This is a no-brainer recommendation from me. Don’t let this one fly under your radar.

Well, now it’s your turn. If you’ve seen Petite Maman (2021), I want to hear what you thought of it. Leave a comment below or reach out on social media!

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