After the universal acclaim for her previous film, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” film fans around the world have been anxiously awaiting the next feature from filmmaker Céline Sciamma. Well, even though it appears that cinephiles outside of France are going to have to wait a bit longer to see her next feature, “Petite Maman,” the French are getting that film in June.
With that release around the corner, a first trailer for “Petite Maman” has been released (though, again, it is in French). And considering the trailer is in French with no English subtitles, it’s difficult for this uneducated American to know exactly what is being said in the trailer, there’s still a lot of obvious beauty and craftsmanship that shows Sciamma is bringing her A-game to the new feature. “Petite Maman” tells the story of a young girl that is helping her parents clean out her grandmother’s old house. While exploring in the woods, she comes across a mysterious young girl building a treehouse.
The film stars Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphane Varupenne, and Margot Abascal. As mentioned, the feature is written and directed by Sciamma, who is probably best known for her acclaimed feature, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” She also directed features such as “Tomboy” and “Water Lillies.”
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In our review from this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, we said, “Its achievement lies in the space it creates for these children to open up a dialogue they rarely get to have – one that inevitably asks more questions, but that welcomes them as mature thinkers, keen to understand more about those raising them and the conditions in which they are being raised.”
“Petite Maman” doesn’t yet have a US release date, but Sciamma’s new feature will arrive in France this June. You can watch the French trailer below.
Here’s a description of the film from the Berlinale:
Eight-year-old Nelly has just lost her beloved grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother’s childhood home. She explores the house and the surrounding woods where her mum, Marion, used to play and where she built the treehouse Nelly has heard so much about. One day her mother suddenly leaves. That is when Nelly meets a girl of her own age in the woods, building a treehouse. Her name is Marion.