Petite Maman is a 2021 French fantasydrama film, written and directed by Céline Sciamma. Starring Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Stéphane Varupenne, Nina Meurisse and Margo Abascal, the film follows a young girl coping with the death of her maternal grandmother by bonding with her mother.
The film had its world premiere at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival on 3 March 2021, and was released in France on 2 June 2021, by Pyramide Distribution. The film received widespread critical acclaim.
Plot
Eight year old Nelly has just lost her maternal grandmother. Her parents travel to her mother Marion's childhood home in order to empty it out. Nelly's mother is deeply upset by the whole process and leaves during the night without saying goodbye to Nelly.
Going out into the woods to play, Nelly meets a girl her own age building a cabin. The girl, also named Marion, is friendly and invites Nelly to help her. When it begins to rain, Marion takes Nelly to her home. After Nelly explains that she is visiting the area after the death of her grandmother, Marion tells her that her own grandmother, also named Nelly, died recently. Going through the house, Nelly realizes that it is her grandmother's house and Marion is her mother. Alarmed, she flees and is relieved when she returns to the house and finds her father in the present.
Nelly returns a second time to the woods and sees her mother as a girl again. They continue to build the cabin. Nelly learns that they are the same age and that in three days, Marion is set to have an operation to prevent her from developing the same illness as her mother. Returning repeatedly, Nelly is able to spend time with her grandmother and learn things about her mother such as she harbours ambitions of being an actress.
The day before departure, Nelly reveals to Marion that she is her daughter and comes from the future. To prove it, she brings Marion to her grandmother's house where she reveals to Marion that her mother dies when Marion is 31 and that Nelly loved her deeply. The two are interrupted by Nelly's father, who tells Nelly that he has finished early and wants to return in time for her mother's birthday. Marion asks Nelly to sleep over and Nelly convinces her father to let her stay an extra night so she can spend more time with Marion.
Nelly and Marion celebrate Marion's ninth birthday during the sleepover. The following morning, Marion prepares to go to the hospital. Nelly reassures her the operation will be fine. Nelly also reveals that her mother is a sad person and she often wonders if it is because of her. Marion reassures her that she does not think this is the case. The two hug before Marion leaves for the hospital.
Returning to her grandmother's house, Nelly is surprised by her mother who has returned for a final viewing of the house. The two embrace, as they say each other's names.
In November 2020, it was announced Céline Sciamma would write and direct, with Bénédicte Couvreur serving as a producer, with Pyramide Distribution set to distribute.[3][4]
Petite Maman had its world premiere at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival in March 2021, where Neon bought North American distribution rights to the film the same day.[6][7] A week later, MUBI acquired the distribution rights for the UK, Ireland and Turkey.[8] It was released in France on 2 June 2021, by Pyramide Distribution.[9]
In February 2023, The Criterion Collection announced the film would be joining the collection in May that year.[12]
Critical reception
Petite Maman received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 203 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.70/10. The website's consensus reads: "Small in narrative scope but deeply impactful, Petite Maman is a delicate, powerfully acted meditation on grief."[13] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 93 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[14] English film critic Mark Kermode called it his favourite film of 2021,[15] writing "Whether you are six or 60, this astonishingly insightful and heartbreakingly hopeful cinematic poem will pierce your heart, broaden your mind and gladden your soul, even as you wipe away tears."[16]
