Petite Maman

A tree house becomes the setting of a fantastical encounter in this comforting, fairy-tale-like story of bereavement and mourning by Céline Sciamma.

Nelly is helping her parents clear out the house of her grandmother, who has just passed away. While her father clears things out, her mother, Marion, seems overwhelmed by grief. Nelly explores the house where Marion grew up and the surrounding forest where she’d once built a treehouse. Following her mother’s abrupt departure, Nelly meets a girl of the same age who is also named Marion. Together they build a treehouse. Director Céline Sciamma adds a further lyrical highlight to her gentle portraits of young women and girls. She and cinematographer Claire Mathon tell the magical story of a fantastical family reunion in images ablaze with light and dominated by autumnal tones. Poignant and beguiling!

Director