A great film about childhood is the protagonist in theaters: Céline Sciamma’s “Petite maman” arrives in our cinemas after the presentation in competition at the last Berlin Film Festival and is yet another confirmation of the extraordinary talent of the French director.
Since his first works (think of the excellent «Tomboy», his second work), Sciamma has always shown a remarkable sensitivity in dealing with the theme of youth, through a touch as delicate as it is powerful.
Now in her fifth feature film, the author tells the story of Nelly, an eight-year-old girl who has just lost her maternal grandmother. While in her mother’s childhood home, Nelly decides to go explore the surrounding woods, where she will meet a peer to start playing with.
After the success of “Portrait of a young woman in flames” two years ago, Céline Sciamma has made another stratified and complex film, capable of thinking once again on the theme of identity, which has always been one of the most significant topics in her cinema. By giving life to an unconventional coming-of-age story, the director offers a look of strong empathy with the stories told, also giving a surprising twist that the viewer will discover during the viewing.
A film at the height of a child
“Petite maman” is a film at the height of a child, which leads the audience to experience a journey of exploration together with the very young protagonist. Despite the short duration (about 70 minutes) this film – small only in appearance – offers a series of ideas of great depth and capable of making us reflect for a long time after the conclusion. Among the many scenes to remember, a special mention goes to the beautiful opening sequence, effective in showing in a few minutes all the poetry that will then be found in the rest of the narration.
«Petite Maman» and the other films of the weekend
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France
From transalpine cinema also comes «France», the new film by Bruno Dumont. The protagonist is Léa Seydoux in the role of a well-known television journalist, with an important career behind her and a troubled private life. The woman, however, will find herself involved in a car accident that will deeply upset her life, so much so as to cause a crisis that could lead to her ruin.