Film Review - Petite Maman (2021)

When it comes to female driven, coming of age films, Celine Sciamma can do no wrong. Ever since her feature debut, Water Lilies, Sciamma has handled the female gaze with sensitivity and flair. In Petite Maman, Sciamma is yet again on top form and delivers a wonderful film that will appeal to audiences whether they are aged eight or eighty.

When Nelly’s beloved grandmother passes away, Nelly worries that she didn’t say goodbye to her and reassurances from Nelly’s mother don’t convince her, because she didn’t say goodbye properly. Soon, Nelly and her family make the drive out to her late grandmother’s house, nestled in the woods, and begin the task of clearing it out. Whilst Nelly’s mother and father struggle with their own grief and memories, Nelly escapes to play in the woods where one day she happens upon a young girl.

There is something about childhood and cinema that feels intrinsically linked. Often the films that we watched in our childhoods are the ones that we garner the most comfort and enjoyment from, and the joyous nostalgia that they bring has us returning to them time and time again. Petite Maman is an incredibly unique film in that, although for most audiences this wont be a film that they watch in their childhood, it feels like a childhood film. Petite Maman brings the same comfort and invokes those childlike memories both sad and happy.

Grief is a universal theme, and it is interesting to see that grief through the worldview of eight year old Nelly is not all that different to grief experienced as an adult. Whether you said goodbye and how you said goodbye – these questions can haunt a person. The fantastical way that Nelly then explores her grief again raises so many interesting questions for the audience. What would you say if you could talk to your parents as children? Make believe and play takes centre stage in Petite Maman and where this could have easily felt immature and trying, instead it feels immensely profound and tender.

Petite Maman’s settings also enhance the evocative nature of the film. Nature itself is a key player in the film and the leaf soaked grounds of the woods give the film a rich, autumn hue. Petite Maman makes little use of music throughout and the result is a raw soundscape that feels really appropriate considering that the story is told from Nelly’s viewpoint. Children don’t necessarily fill silence in order to block out their sad thoughts in the way that adults might and Nelly’s quiet, thoughtful moments are emotionally hefty and poignant.

Newcomers Josephine and Gabrielle Sanz are fantastic as the two young girls at the centre of the film and their performances feel unpolished in the best possible way. Nina Meurisse, Stephane Varupenne and Margot Abascal round out the cast and also provide empathetic performances.

Petite Maman has a swift seventy minute running time and not one of those minutes is wasted. Sciamma has crafted a beautiful and emotional film that will stay with audiences for a long time.