Petite Maman

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1:33

Petite Maman

PG

Released Apr 22, 2022

1h 15m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

219 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Céline Sciamma continues to prove herself as one of the most accomplished and unpredictable contemporary French filmmakers with her follow up to PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, the uniquely emotional, PETITE MAMAN. Following the death of her beloved grandmother, 8-year-old Nelly accompanies her parents to her mother's childhood home to begin the difficult process of cleaning out its contents. As Nelly explores the house and nearby woods, she is immediately drawn to a neighbor her own age building a treehouse. What follows is a tender tale of childhood grief, memory and connection.

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Critics Consensus

Small in narrative scope but deeply impactful, Petite Maman is a delicate, powerfully acted meditation on grief.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

A quiet but powerful tale of grief, family love, and the mysterious world of childhood friendship.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 19, 2024

Full Review

Scout Tafoya

RogerEbert.com

Relentlessly touching...

Dec 23, 2022

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Alissa Wilkinson

Vox

Petite Maman is a pithy, gemlike film.

Aug 5, 2022

Full Review

Hector A. Gonzalez

The Movie Buff

Petite Maman is a sweet, tender, and fairytale-esque film that focuses on grief and escapism during your childhood. Even though it is only 72-minutes long, it is wholly enchanting and poignant.

Rated: B+

Sep 8, 2024

Full Review

Greg Carlson

Vague Visages

Sciamma’s handling of the interactions between the kids is as confident and as beautifully realized as the depiction of relationships in Water Lilies, Tomboy and Girlhood.

Nov 8, 2023

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

There are some hard adult truths, but the film is so filled with little notes of grace and tenderness that it leaves us with the sense that the world has much more wonder than sadness, more connection that isolation, more hope than cynicism.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 6, 2023

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Julian Rex M

Simplistic but brimming with understanding and love, Petite Maman is an initially convoluted meditation on relationships that easily settles into beautifully even, decidedly thoughtful form.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

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Martona T

A tender movie where the child's perspective on relationships, loss and world in general is utterly touching. It doesn't follow conventions, it's narration is very autonomous and independent.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

Full Review

Peter G

A gentle & immensely moving film with imaginative elements of magical realism which will stay with me probably forever. An eight year old girl who felt unable to say farewell to her fatally ill grandmother comes to a better understanding of her own mother‘s grief & depression. Revealing how all this comes about would spoil the subtle impact which she experiences when visiting her grandmother‘s & her mother’s own childhood home. There in the woods she meets a girl her own age with the same name as her mother & the ensuing revelations are magical indeed. The two young actresses are twins in real life & their interaction is beautiful to behold. A wonderful, unique & emotionally involving film experience quite unlike any other that I have seen in recent years. Reviewed by Peter Graham

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/08/25

Full Review

Esra Y

I feel the movie would've become richer if script were to include adult Marion's inner turmoil, nevertheless a wonderful, delicate movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

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Peg O

Enchanting.i had to watch it twice because I missed clues the first time around,

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/25

Full Review

S R

Saw it since it was on the SnS22 list. This one had its moments, but overall I was left wondering what the point was. It was an interesting reflection on grief, but it also had minimal dialogue and never took on much complexity. SLC library DVD.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/25

Full Review

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Céline Sciamma

Director

Nina Meurisse

La mère

Margot Abascal

La grand-mère

Stéphane Varupenne

Le père

Joséphine Sanz

Nelly

Gabrielle Sanz

Marion

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Petite maman: Trailer 1

1:33

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Synopsis

Céline Sciamma continues to prove herself as one of the most accomplished and unpredictable contemporary French filmmakers with her follow up to PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, the uniquely emotional, PETITE MAMAN. Following the death of her beloved grandmother, 8-year-old Nelly accompanies her parents to her mother's childhood home to begin the difficult process of cleaning out its contents. As Nelly explores the house and nearby woods, she is immediately drawn to a neighbor her own age building a treehouse. What follows is a tender tale of childhood grief, memory and connection.

Director: Céline Sciamma
Producer: Bénédicte Couvreur
Screenwriter: Céline Sciamma
Distributor: NEON
Production Co: Lilies Films, France Télévisions, Canal+, Ciné+, France 3 Cinéma, La Région Île-de-France
Rating: PG (Some Thematic Elements|Brief Smoking)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 22, 2022, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $819.8K
Runtime: 1h 15m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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