"God Almighty, you know my mommy is dead because she is with you.
I want to talk to my mommy."
I want to talk to my mommy."
Release Year: 1996
Country: France
Genre: Social drama
Director: Jacques Doillon
Screenwriter: Jacques Doillon
Cinematography: Caroline Champetier
Music: Philippe Sarde
Editing: Jacqueline Lecompte
Actors: Victoire Thivisol, Matiaz Bureau Caton, Delphine Schiltz
My first direct contact with death happened with my grandfather's sudden death when I was eight year-old. At the time, I already comprehended well what was going on and knew there is no chance that I will ever see or talk to my grandpa again. Yet, I wonder how I would have reacted if I was some years younger and have not properly understand the concept of death and afterlife yet. How would a mind of a very young child react to the death of their closest, and how should an adult educate them on the issue and help them cope?
Ponette is an attempt to answer those questions, presenting death as seen from the point of view of a four-year-old girl.
Country: France
Genre: Social drama
Director: Jacques Doillon
Screenwriter: Jacques Doillon
Cinematography: Caroline Champetier
Music: Philippe Sarde
Editing: Jacqueline Lecompte
Actors: Victoire Thivisol, Matiaz Bureau Caton, Delphine Schiltz
My first direct contact with death happened with my grandfather's sudden death when I was eight year-old. At the time, I already comprehended well what was going on and knew there is no chance that I will ever see or talk to my grandpa again. Yet, I wonder how I would have reacted if I was some years younger and have not properly understand the concept of death and afterlife yet. How would a mind of a very young child react to the death of their closest, and how should an adult educate them on the issue and help them cope?
Ponette is an attempt to answer those questions, presenting death as seen from the point of view of a four-year-old girl.
The mother of Ponette (Thivisol) died in a car crash, leaving the four-year-old and her father (Xavier Beauvois). Unable to raise his daughter while still dealing with his own grief, Ponette's father left her under the charge of her aunt, Claire (Claire Nebout); who has two kids of her own, Matiaz (Caton) and Delphine (Schiltz). During her stay there, the confused Ponette tries to find the answer of why her mother is not coming back and how she could see or talk to her again.
First thing's first, Thivisol's performance is extremely outstanding and probably the best child performance I have ever seen on a big screen. She plays her character with the amount of natural talent, spontaneity, and liveliness that surpassed so many older female actresses, and end up being the youngest ever actress to ever won a major acting award (a documentary called Joeuer Ponette was later made to highlight how Doillon and the crew guided the supremely talented girl throughout the movie's production). Thivisol is clearly a lot more intelligent than her age suggested, being able to convey the confusion, grief, and heart-breaking innocence every time the camera is trained on her.
In fact, the entire movie is built around its child performers. There are only two major adult characters, and one of them only appeared at the very beginning and very end of the movie. It makes for perhaps one of the most naturalistic and adorable casts in a movie, playfully bouncing off each other and displaying extreme ease in front of the camera. Oddly, there are scenes that seem out of place considering the age of the characters--Matiaz' extreme cuddling with Ponette, for instance, or the way the very young girls can already gossip about each other's crushes--I guess French kids just grow up really fast?
The most interesting aspect of the whole thing, however, is the way Ponette and the kids around her interpret death and the spiritual afterlife. The segment when Ponette, Matiaz, and Delphine discuss God and religion is a great example in showing how religion and fantasy collide in the impressionable and speculative minds of children. Amusing yet insightful, it implies that as imperfect as these kids' knowledge is, they also display the lack of cynicism and skepticism often found in adults. There is also the character of Ada (Léopoldine Serre), another small girl who tells Ponette that she must passes the test to be a "Child of God", so that she can convinces God into letting her talk to her dead mother. This make-believe story lead to some of the most touching moments in the movie; if you don't tear up even a bit when Ponette struggles to pass Ada's test, your heart is probably made of stone.
As alluded before, the adults' role is very small. The character of Ponette's father (who deserves a punch on the nose for leaving his kid like that) is hardly a role model for parents in similar situations, while even though Ponette's aunt did try to get through to her, the girl is much more inclined to listen to her friends instead. It seems that Doillon really wanted to focus strictly on childlike perspective, perception and imagination, which eventually leads into the rather controversial ending.
(SPOILER)
In the end, Ponette meets the ghost/apparition/dream of her mother, who tells her to be happy even though she is no longer there. This occurence is what finally enables Ponette to overcome her grief and let go. At first, this solution might feels like a "cheat" and a too convenient fix for Ponette's emotional turmoil. However, this narrative choice highlights the central theme of faith and spirituality in this movie: Ponette believes and prays hard, thus she is finally rewarded with the "chance" to meet her mother for the last time. Or you can also reason that it is a result of the internalized process inside her mind and a form of coping mechanism, yet one can't help but feel that the faith-based explanation is probably what the film-makers are aiming for.
The ending did bother me for a while, but I eventually appreciated it after thinking some more.
The movie (and the camera in particular) can feels pandering and manipulative at times by having Ponette cried in so many scenes and extensively closing up on her sad face, but it is not like there are many other ways to fully convey her grief effectively. Besides, that should not take anything away from either the very brave premise or Thivisol's performance. In short, this is a powerful tale of faith and mortality through the eyes of a very little girl and an implied reminder for adults of how malleable and fragile the minds of children are.
(Thivisol does not appear in many other movies after this one, her most prominent role being the Juliette Binoche's daughter in Oscar-nominated Chocolat. It seems that she is on hiatus from the movie industry, perhaps for academical reasons; but even if she does not take up acting again, those who watched her in Ponette shall never forget her magnificent display of talent there).
First thing's first, Thivisol's performance is extremely outstanding and probably the best child performance I have ever seen on a big screen. She plays her character with the amount of natural talent, spontaneity, and liveliness that surpassed so many older female actresses, and end up being the youngest ever actress to ever won a major acting award (a documentary called Joeuer Ponette was later made to highlight how Doillon and the crew guided the supremely talented girl throughout the movie's production). Thivisol is clearly a lot more intelligent than her age suggested, being able to convey the confusion, grief, and heart-breaking innocence every time the camera is trained on her.
In fact, the entire movie is built around its child performers. There are only two major adult characters, and one of them only appeared at the very beginning and very end of the movie. It makes for perhaps one of the most naturalistic and adorable casts in a movie, playfully bouncing off each other and displaying extreme ease in front of the camera. Oddly, there are scenes that seem out of place considering the age of the characters--Matiaz' extreme cuddling with Ponette, for instance, or the way the very young girls can already gossip about each other's crushes--I guess French kids just grow up really fast?
The most interesting aspect of the whole thing, however, is the way Ponette and the kids around her interpret death and the spiritual afterlife. The segment when Ponette, Matiaz, and Delphine discuss God and religion is a great example in showing how religion and fantasy collide in the impressionable and speculative minds of children. Amusing yet insightful, it implies that as imperfect as these kids' knowledge is, they also display the lack of cynicism and skepticism often found in adults. There is also the character of Ada (Léopoldine Serre), another small girl who tells Ponette that she must passes the test to be a "Child of God", so that she can convinces God into letting her talk to her dead mother. This make-believe story lead to some of the most touching moments in the movie; if you don't tear up even a bit when Ponette struggles to pass Ada's test, your heart is probably made of stone.
As alluded before, the adults' role is very small. The character of Ponette's father (who deserves a punch on the nose for leaving his kid like that) is hardly a role model for parents in similar situations, while even though Ponette's aunt did try to get through to her, the girl is much more inclined to listen to her friends instead. It seems that Doillon really wanted to focus strictly on childlike perspective, perception and imagination, which eventually leads into the rather controversial ending.
(SPOILER)
In the end, Ponette meets the ghost/apparition/dream of her mother, who tells her to be happy even though she is no longer there. This occurence is what finally enables Ponette to overcome her grief and let go. At first, this solution might feels like a "cheat" and a too convenient fix for Ponette's emotional turmoil. However, this narrative choice highlights the central theme of faith and spirituality in this movie: Ponette believes and prays hard, thus she is finally rewarded with the "chance" to meet her mother for the last time. Or you can also reason that it is a result of the internalized process inside her mind and a form of coping mechanism, yet one can't help but feel that the faith-based explanation is probably what the film-makers are aiming for.
The ending did bother me for a while, but I eventually appreciated it after thinking some more.
The movie (and the camera in particular) can feels pandering and manipulative at times by having Ponette cried in so many scenes and extensively closing up on her sad face, but it is not like there are many other ways to fully convey her grief effectively. Besides, that should not take anything away from either the very brave premise or Thivisol's performance. In short, this is a powerful tale of faith and mortality through the eyes of a very little girl and an implied reminder for adults of how malleable and fragile the minds of children are.
(Thivisol does not appear in many other movies after this one, her most prominent role being the Juliette Binoche's daughter in Oscar-nominated Chocolat. It seems that she is on hiatus from the movie industry, perhaps for academical reasons; but even if she does not take up acting again, those who watched her in Ponette shall never forget her magnificent display of talent there).
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