“A pithy, gemlike film.” - Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
“What every film should be: powerfully, even arrestingly original; grounded in emotional truth; hyper-specific; deeply universal; strange; mesmerizing; and not a minute longer than necessary.” - Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
“Magnus opera have been written on these topics for hundreds of years; Sciamma manages to cram numerous insights into just 72 minutes.” - David Sims, The Atlantic
Tuesday, June 11, 9:00 a.m. | In just over one hour, with a film that is already imbued with magic and whimsy, Céline Sciamma (PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE) performs a powerful trick: she breaks your heart and then compassionately mends it. Following the death of her beloved grandmother, young Nelly accompanies her bereaved parents to her mother’s childhood home to clean it and prepare it to be sold. While wandering in the woods near the house she meets another young girl, and the two become fast friends. Through this new relationship, Nelly becomes closer to her mother in surprising and enchanting ways. Tender, ethereal, and quietly miraculous, PETITE MAMAN is a gentle breeze of a film that—without an ounce of pretension—explores grief, childhood, memory, and even time travel, leaving the audience feeling that deeper connections with one another are not only possible, they are the very purpose of life.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Best Film, San Sebastián International Film Festival
Winner - Best Film, Stockholm Film Festival
Nominee - Best Film, Berlin Film Festival
Nominee - Best Film Not in the English Language, BAFTA Awards
Nominee - Best International Film, Film Independent Spirit Awards
Rise & Shine: Mere hours after you’ve opened your eyes to the day, the Film Center invites you to open your eyes in an entirely different way with a morning screening of soul-altering cinema. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, play the slightest bit of hooky with us, after which you will emerge onto the hustle and bustle of State Street feeling energized, maybe even with your humanity restored, and all before lunchtime! Tickets include unlimited coffee from Dark Matter Coffee, and enjoy 10 percent off your order when you show your Rise & Shine ticket at Goddess and the Baker at 33 South Wabash or 225 North LaSalle on the day of your screening. What a way to start the day! View full series.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu