Written and directed by Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), Petite Maman is about Nelly, a girl whose grandmother has just passed away. Nelly’s parents are alienated from each other, her mother struggling with an undefined unhappiness. Missing her grandmother dearly, Nelly magically gets a chance to get to know the past of her mother and grandmother.
It is the gentlest of fantasy stories. No flash of light, no crash of thunder gives Nelly her vision of the past. Quite the opposite: Petite Maman is full of quiet. There is no score and only a brief scene with music.
The actors are quiet as well. Dialogue is delivered flatly, with limited expression, like a quieter Wes Anderson movie. There are pauses. All this quietude builds a well of feeling. We’re forced to consider what is being said, and for good reason. There are no throwaway lines here. From adorable kid interactions to deep-feeling sentiments, the dialogue of Petite Maman shines with emotion and meaning.
The story explores the theme of negative feelings that are passed down from parents to children. The most salient one here is the feeling of not being present. We are physically present with our children, but not present-minded because we’re preoccupied with our to-do’s and our worries about the future. Worse, we give them our worries before they know what to do with them. Petite Maman makes the case that the kids notice the absence and absorb the worry. And what might lift their souls is simple, present companionship.
All the performances are working here, but twin sisters Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz carry the film. Their restrained delivery turns them into believable kids, even when the dialogue might be much deeper than what a kid would say.
The movie is worth a watch from anyone who has 72 minutes and wants an uplifting, magical feeling.
