By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Céline Sciamma
Starring: Gabrielle Sanz | Joséphine Sanz | Margot Abascal | Nina Meurisse | Stéphane Varupenne
Country: france
Year: 2022
Running time: 72
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13204490/reference
Diane says: “Director Celine Sciamma (GIRLHOOD, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE) disappoints with a slight take on a mother-daughter relationship. Eight-year-old Nelly tries to understand her mother’s depression, especially now after the death of her grandmother. On the long drive to the grandmother’s house, to empty it out, Nelly plies her mother with cheese curls and sips from a juice box. Later, Nelly encounters her mother as a child, with Sciamma using fantasy in a matter-of-fact way. The titular ‘Little Mother’ captures both the child mothering her parent and the mother known as a child herself.
“The script is spare. The revelations are underwhelming. The line readings are uninflected. The girls are too cute. I have a suspicion that Sciamma met the pretty sisters (Gabrielle and Josephine Sanz) and wanted to put them on the screen. 1 cat
“Seen at San Diego Film Festival.”
Brett says: “There is so much to unlock in a discussion of PETITE MAMAN, and it’s a difficult film to comment on without sharing the film with someone who has already seen it.
“The approach from Céline Sciamma is that of realism. However, there is a bending of actuality within this stylistic reality. The manner in which one drifts into this realm is seamless and fluid.
“There is as much dialogue in the faces, the walks, and the stalemated conversations as there is in the actual spoken dialogue itself. And when words are delivered, well, hold on to them as they weave in and out of this tapestry for full effect in the overall grand scheme of things.
“In this story, young 8-year old Nelly meets family tragedy head-on, and equally as troubled is her 31-year old mother. Although the two feel deeply connected to that which they’ve lost, the absence of outward affection is an ironic spin on this shared sense of loss. With the latter, therein lies the enigmatic plot that is playing hide and seek with the viewer. While some reviews will cover plot points, I find that the less you know and prepare for will benefit you all the more as you dive into this highly thematic reality-bender.
“With a runtime barely over 70 minutes, this is an incredibly tight-knit story that has the enveloping shroud of fulfillment you can find in a classic short story that covers as much ground as nearly any novel. As such, the best review I could provide needs to be as brief as the picture itself: perfection. 5 cats out of 5
“A film of the year candidate if there ever was one and sure deserving of inclusion in discussions of the great films of the decade.”
Chris says: “Deceptively simple even when it’s one of Celine Sciamma’s more conceptually ambitious films. A whole, fully realized world built out of a few essential components. 4.5 cats”