The film explores a young eight-year old girl who travels to her mother’s childhood home following the death of her beloved grandmother where she spends a lot of time in the woods where she meets a young girl who comes from another world. It is a film that explores grief as this young girl in Nelly (Josephine Sanz) travels to the home that her mother (Nina Meurisse) has lived in as a child as she is ravaged with grief where she would leave the house for a time leaving Nelly and Nelly’s father (Stephane Varupenne) to clean out the house. While spending time in the woods, Nelly meets a young girl in the same age named Marion (Gabrielle Sanz) as they spend time playing and building a hut yet Nelly makes a discovery about the home that Marion lives in as it is similar to the home she and her dad are cleaning out. It adds not just a lot of intrigue into what Nelly is encountering but also to try and understand more about what her mother is going through as well as the similarities between her home and Marion’s home.
Celine Sciamma’s direction is mesmerizing for not just its simplicity and setting but also for telling a story in a 72-minute running time. Shot on location in areas near Cergy, France, Sciamma aims for something intimate in its overall presentation yet she would use some unique wide shots to play into the scope of some of the locations including a key scene late in the film as it would be the only scene in the film to also feature music. Yet, much of Sciamma’s direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots as it opens with Nelly helping an old woman with the crossword puzzle as she says goodbye to her and then saying goodbye to other old ladies in a single tracking shot that goes on for a few minutes until she and her mother leave an empty room. Sciamma does put in some unique visual styles yet would also do things that blur the line between reality and fiction as it relates to the house that Nelly’s mother used to live in as well as the home that Marion is in as there’s a lot of attention to detail in the way the hallway, rooms, and kitchen are shot.
Sciamma’s direction also maintains this air of minimalism throughout the film as it utilizes much of the same locations in every attention to detail including the rooms that both Nelly and Marion are staying in. Even in the clothes the two girls wear as they come from different periods as Sciamma is also the film’s costume designer where she brings a lot of detail into the clothes both of these girls wear. Even when they play as something else where it says a lot about these two girls where Nelly would meet Marion’s mother (Margot Abascal) who has a cane that is also similar to the one that Josephine’s grandmother had as it adds more intrigue. Notably as Sciamma does reveal things yet let everything play out as it also plays into Marion getting ready for an operation that would be prevent her from getting the illness that is ailing her mother. For Nelly, Sciamma manages to allow the character to gain an understanding of loss and why it affected her mother so deeply. Overall, Sciamma crafts an astonishingly tender and intoxicating film about an eight-year old girl dealing with loss by meeting another eight-year old girl from a mysterious world.
Cinematographer Claire Mathon does brilliant work with the film’s colorful and naturalistic cinematography as it utilizes natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes in its autumn setting as well as its usage of low-key lights for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Julien Lachery does excellent work with the film’s editing with its emphasis on being straightforward in knowing when to cut and when not to cut as there’s a lot of straight cuts with a few jump cuts in a few bits. Production designer Lionel Brison and set decorator Daniel Bevan do amazing work with the look of the house that Nelly’s grandmother lived in as well as the home that Marion lives in as there’s a lot of similarities and a lot of attention to detail in each room as it is a highlight of the film.
Sound editor Valerie Deloof does superb work with the sound in the sound as it plays into the natural elements of the locations as well as sparse sound effects in the film. The film’s music by Jean-Baptiste de Laubier in his Para One pseudonym is incredible for its lone synth-pop based music in one entire scene late into the film as it is this exhilarating and adventurous moment filled with wonder.
The casting by Christel Baras is remarkable as it feature a trio of notable small roles from Guylene Pean, Josee Schuller, and Flores Cardo as a trio of old women Nelly says goodbye to at a retirement home. Margo Abascal is terrific as Marion’s mother who often walks with a cane as she is fascinated by Nelly while also coping with her illness that she hopes Marion doesn’t get. Stephane Varupenne is fantastic as Nelly’s father who watches over her while her mother is gone as he does reveal why he and Nelly’s mother are reluctant to talk about their own childhood while there’s a great moment of the two bonding when Nelly helps her dad shave his beard off.
Nina Meurisse is excellent as Nelly’s mother as this woman who is coping with the loss of her mother as she is also distant where she leaves the home for some time as it plays into her own sense of melancholia. Finally, there’s the duo of real-life sisters Josephine and Gabrielle Sanz in tremendous performances in their respective roles as Nelly and Marion. The Sanz sisters both bring in this sense of whimsy as well as an innocence into their roles as eight-year old girls who are both dealing with recent events in their lives as with Josephine bringing a lot of curiosity as Nelly with Gabrielle providing a wonderment as Marion where the two radiate a natural chemistry with one another as they are a major highlight of the film.
Petite Maman is a spectacular film from Celine Sciamma. Featuring a great cast, a touching exploration of grief and a child’s understanding of loss, ravishing visuals, and its minimalist presentation. It is a film that isn’t just this enchanting yet heartfelt fantasy-drama but a look into the sense of loss and trying to figure out the world in an intimate setting that knows how to use its small running time. In the end, Petite Maman is a tremendous film from Celine Sciamma.
Celine Sciamma Films: (Water Lillies) – (Tomboy (2011 film)) – Girlhood (2014 film) - Portrait of a Lady on Fire
© thevoid99 2023
(Winner of the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay Prize to Celine Sciamma at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival)
Set towards the end of the 18th Century, the film revolves around a painter who is taken to a remote island in France to paint a portrait of a woman that is to be wedded only for the two to embark on a secretive relationship. It’s a film with a simple premise as it plays into the ideas of art and temptation as well as this sense of longing and sisterhood in a world where men often is at the control of fates. Celine Sciamma’s screenplay opens with the painter Marianne (Noemie Merlant) at an art school teaching her students as she talks about one of her famed paintings where the film’s title refers to her time at the island of Brittany where she’s asked to paint a portrait for a countess (Valeria Golino) whose daughter Heloise (Adele Haenel) is to be married to nobleman from Milan. Upon her arrival to the island, Marianne notices that Heloise is very resistant to marrying a man she doesn’t know as there’s a lot of revelations into why this marriage has been arranged and Marianne is another of a series of painters to come in and try to paint a portrait of Heloise. Marianne understands what happened in those many attempts while understanding Heloise’s own feelings about being painted and what she wants.
Sciamma’s direction is definitely entrancing as it play into this idea of what art is and what it means for someone including the person that is to be painted. Shot on location at Saint-Pierre-Quiberon at the island of Brittany as well as locations in the La Chapelle-Gauthier at Seine-et-Marne, Sciamma makes the locations a character in the film as it plays into this world of isolation as the island is remote while the rare moment of Marianne and Heloise going out of the chateau with the house maid Sophie (Luana Bajrami) where they would encounter a group of women at a bonfire. It is in that moment where Marianne would get the idea for her famed painting as the film goes into great detail into Marianne’s methods and how she sketches things and then turn it into a painting. The usage of close-ups into the way Marianne paints show Sciamma’s approach to who Marianne is as an artist that includes creating a small sketch of Heloise as the two begin their affair. Sciamma’s direction also has this unique approach to framing and compositions through the wide and medium shots as if she’s creating a painting on her own in where the characters are as well as a certain piece of furniture.
There are also these amazing shots during scenes in the beach involving Marianne, Heloise, and Sophie as they’re trying to find plants as it relates to a subplot of Sophie learning that she’s pregnant as it is a moment in the film that has these women bonding. Sciamma also showcases some straightforward compositions in the way she positions the camera to get coverage of her actors without doing a lot of movement in some scenes as well as maintain this air of intrigue into what is not being shown. Sciamma also creates this air of tension about the final painting of Heloise’s portrait as a lot of the painting is done by Helene Delmaire who also did all of the other paintings in the film as it says a lot of what Marianne is feeling. Even towards the end as it play into the inevitable but also an aftermath that returns to the film’s opening scene and what would follow as it relates to the ways of the world then and how its final shot of the film just says so much about the cruelty of the world. Overall, Sciamma crafts a ravishing and intoxicating film about a painter who falls for her subject in a woman who is reluctant to become a portrait for a man she doesn’t want to marry.
Cinematographer Claire Mathon does incredible work with the film’s lush and colorful cinematography as it is a highlight of the film in terms of the attention to detail of the landscapes with the way the beaches look as well as the cliffs along with the usage of candle lights for the interior scenes at night. Editor Julien Lacheray does brilliant work with the editing where it has a sense of rhythm to play into the drama as well as bits of humor while often knowing when to let a shot linger as it doesn’t aim for anything stylish. Production designer Thomas Grezaud does amazing work with the look of the chateau’s interiors as well as the look of the living room with its fireplace and the studio where Marianne creates Heloise’s portrait. Costume designer Dorothee Guiraud does excellent work with the costumes in the dresses from the dark-red dress that Marianne wears, the dark-blue/black dresses of Heloise and the countess wears, and the green dress that Heloise wears for her portrait.
Special effects supervisor Benoit Talenton, with visual effects supervisors Alain Carsoux and Jeremie Leroux, does terrific work with a few of the film’s special effects as it relates to an image that Marianne would see as it foreshadows the reality of what she has to deal with. The sound work of Julien Sicart, Valerie Deloof, and Daniel Sobrino is superb in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sound of heels walking on wooden floors as it adds to the film’s quiet yet hypnotic tone. The film’s music by Jean-Baptiste de Laubier and Arthur Simoni is fantastic as it only features one score piece during the bonfire scene of a group of women sing and clap as it is this haunting music piece that adds to the dramatic tension while the only other music piece in the film are variations of Summer from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons that appears twice.
The film’s casting by Christel Baras is wonderful as it feature some notable small appearances from Armande Boulanger as a student of Marianne in the film’s opening scene, Guy Delamarche as an art gallery enthusiast late in the film, and Clement Bouyssou as Heloise’s future husband late in the film. Valeria Golino is brilliant as the Countess as Heloise’s mother who hires Marianne for the job while being someone who understands her daughter’s reluctance but also is hopeful that her daughter will find happiness despite the tragedy they’ve both endured. Luana Bajrami is incredible as the housemaid Sophie as a young woman who becomes pregnant as she becomes this figure that helps Marianne and Heloise bond while assisting the former with the portrait as she proves to be a competent ally for both women.
Finally, there’s the duo of Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Marianne and Heloise. Merlant brings a realism to a woman that has been in society while also understands what it takes to create great art as she feels challenged by Heloise as well as entranced by her while coping with what is inevitable. Haenel’s performance is restrained in her approach to melodrama as a woman that is expressing her anger and sadness in the role she is to play yet Haenel also provides this aura that adds to her complexity as a woman that is afraid to reveal her true identity. Merlant and Haenel together are just exquisite to watch in the way they play off each other and then express their own longing for one another as they are a massive highlight to the film.
***Additional Content Written from 6/30/22-7/3/22***
The 2020 Region 1/Region A DVD/Blu-Ray release from the Criterion Collection presents the film in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio in a 4K video presentation with 5.1 Surround Sound on DVD (uncompressed on Blu-Ray). Among the special features presented for its release include a thirty-two minute conversation between filmmaker Celine Sciamma and film critic Dana Stevens where they discuss the film and how it is Sciamma’s first period-piece film following a trio of films set on modern times as part of a thematic trilogy. Sciamma talked about wanting to do something different but also with a bit of political themes as it relates to those times. Sciamma and Stevens also talked about some of the visuals where Sciamma also infused a few modern ideas in terms of its visuals while also discussing some specific ideas she wanted. In regards to the casting as Sciamma wanting to work with people she had never did a film with other than regular collaborator Adele Haenel as she was excited to work with Valeria Golino as they both talked about their own ideas of directing since Golino is also a filmmaker.
Sciamma also talks about her approach as well as how to move the camera for tracking shots where she has specific ideas as if she’s a music composer in how many steps a character should walk and where to position an actor in a frame. Even in the music soundtrack as she didn’t want to have a lot of music except in a few specific scenes including its ending and the bonfire scene. Sciamma also talks about the abortion scene as well as how the film reference the story of Orpheus and Eurydice as it relates to the story between Marianne and Heloise. The 18-minute interview with lead actors Adele Haenel and Noemie Merlant has the two talk about the film and their characters with the former talking about her collaboration with Sciamma going back to 2007’s Water Lilies as Haenel also talks about just discovering her character through the script and not approach things expected in a period film. Merlant is new to Sciamma as she auditioned for Sciamma as she also talked about her views on her character. Both actresses talk about the sex scene and its intention as well as straying from the conventions of what sex scenes are meant to do.
The 18-minute interview with cinematographer Claire Mathon at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival has the photographer talk about her approach to the cinematography as well as her collaboration with Sciamma as they did a lot in trying to understand the visual approach to the film. Even in the way to film paintings and capture the richness as the film was shot on 4K digital where Mathon also talks about her approach to lighting and how she had shoot natural light without having to use filters or electric light. Notably in scenes involving candles and using certain lenses to get a distinctive look for the film. The 12-minute 2019 interview with artist Helene Delmaire who was discovered by Sciamma as Delmaire is an artist in her own right and had an understanding of what Sciamma wanted but also know the flaws in copying old paintings from the past. Delmaire talks about her own methods into the painting of the film but also in how color would shape things as well as other little things that go into making a painting. Even in paints that are unable to be used for public health reason yet Delmaire was given access to use them aware of its dangers as she’s been able to use it safely in her own work. In the filming, Sciamma and Mathon had to shoot 27 minutes for one entire session with Delmaire wearing a costume as Merlant’s double.
Also including in the DVD/Blu-Ray set is a booklet that features an essay from Lyssaria website director, film critic/curator Ela Bittencourt entitled Portrait of a Lady on Fire: Daring to See. Bittencourt talks about the film’s plot but also some of its social and gender politics as it is set in the late 18th Century in France at a time when women don’t have much of a role to play. The character of Marianne is this representation of a woman who kind of does thing on her own and her arrival at this house to paint Heloise’s portrait. Bittencourt also talk about how the film fits in with Sciamma’s previous films in terms of its thematic study of the female gaze and female identity as well as the sense of sisterhood between Marianne, Heloise, and Sophie once Heloise’s mother leaves the house for a bit as there’s also this equality that is considered taboo considering the different social classes they’re in. There’s also a lot of references to Orpheus and Eurydice both in Marianne and Heloise’s love story but also as a book that is read throughout the film including a painting by Marianne under her father’s name shown late in the film as the essay is a great piece of text that talks about the film’s brilliance.
***End of DVD/Blu-Ray Tidbits***
Portrait de la jeune fille en feu is a magnificent film from Celine Sciamma. Featuring a phenomenal ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, a gripping and entrancing screenplay, incredible art direction and paintings, and a haunting music soundtrack piece. The film is definitely an evocative and wondrous film that explore a woman tasked to create a portrait of a woman that doesn’t want to marry as it play into many taboos but also a need to create art, sisterhood, and companionship in a world that refuses to change its way. In the end, Portrait de la jeune fille en feu is an outstanding film from Celine Sciamma.
Celine Sciamma Films: (Water Lillies) – (Tomboy (2011 film)) – Girlhood - Petite Maman
© thevoid99 2021
The film follows a French-African 16-year old girl whose oppressive family life and lack of prospects at school as she befriend a trio of girls who are part of a gang as she embraces a new lifestyle that refuses to be defined by anything including the law of men and boys. It’s a film that follow this young woman and three other young women who are also French-African and live in rough areas near Paris as they’re all high school drop-outs with not much of a future other than just hanging out and forming their own crew. Celine Sciamma’s screenplay has a structure that follows the journey that Marieme (Karidja Toure) who isn’t an academic prospect despite her hard work but the lack of a future and the abuse she receives from her old brother due to her mother not being around because of work. Upon meeting these trio of young women lead by Lady (Assa Sylla), Marieme becomes part of the group as a way to not just fit in but also find her identity though she still has to deal with things including taking care of her two younger sisters as one of them is becoming a teenager.
The script also has this unique narrative structure that play into Marieme’s development as she would gain a nickname in Vic and how she would earn it. Even as she becomes someone that is loyal to her gang as she takes part in gang fights while she also starts to showcase her own idea of womanhood as she would also gain a boyfriend in Ismael (Idrissa Diabate) who is a friend of her brother. The script also play into some of the downsides of gang life where Marieme learned about a former member and why she left though there’s no animosity between her and the gang while Marieme also sees her younger sister be part of a young gang.
Sciamma’s direction definitely bear some style in its visuals yet remains grounded in its emphasis to study the world of urban life that is on the outskirts of Paris as it is shot on locations outside of the city with a few parts in the city. Sciamma’s usage of the wide shots don’t just add to the scope of the locations as they’re unique in its setting as world that has elements of African culture but also in tune with what the city of Paris is as well as some American culture. Notably with African-American culture as the four young women play into that world that says a lot about their identity as black women that include music, dancing, and clothes with Sciamma serving as the film’s costume designer where she uses clothes to help express these women including Marieme’s own evolution as a person. In the first act, she wears largely sports-like clothing as the first scene shown have women playing American football while the second act has Marieme wear more street-like clothing as well as expensive designer dresses. One noted scene during the second act involves the four women all wearing these expensive dresses and jewelry where Marieme earns the name Vic as they all sing and lip-sync to Rihanna’s Diamonds as it is presented in a medium shot in very few shots where Sciamma lets the camera linger in this moment that is just intoxicating.
Sciamma also showcase the world of African-French culture and how they interact with conventional society but also be part of their own yet there are also dangers as it relates to Marieme’s own attraction to Ismael and its repercussions. Notably as her home life becomes more oppressive with her mother unable to be at home and her brother being more controlling as Sciamma’s close-ups and medium shots play into that as the film’s third act is darker as it relates to the path that Marieme takes upon meeting this drug dealer in Abou (Djibril Gueye) who offers her a home away from her brother but her gang believes it is a bad idea. It is where the film’s tone does change in terms of its mood yet remains consistent with the narrative that Sciamma is telling as it play into her lack of a future yet there is also something hopeful in the way the film ends as it is more about Marieme taking control of who she is with or without a gang. Overall, Sciamma crafts a mesmerizing and riveting film about a young woman who joins a gang of women in a search for her own identity away from her oppressive home life.
Cinematographer Crystel Fournier does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its vibrant usage of colors including for many of the interior/exterior scenes at night as well as its emphasis on low-key lighting. Editor Julien Lacheray does amazing work with the editing as it has elements of style in a few jump-cuts as well as some slow-motion bits as it help play into the drama and Marieme’s own journey. Production designer Thomas Grezaud does excellent work with the look of Marieme’s home as well as a few of the places she goes to including hotels and restaurants. Makeup supervisor Marie Lusiet and hair supervisor Milou Sanner do fantastic work with the look of the hairstyles that the young women wear as well as how the makeup enhances their beauty as it play into the celebration of what it means to be black.
Sound editor Pierre Andre does superb work with the sound as it is straightforward as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as how sparse the sound is during one of the fight scenes in the film. The film’s music by Jean-Baptiste de Laubier as Para One is incredible for its soothing electronic music score that features elements of ambient and hip-hop that helps play into Marieme’s own journey of self-discovery while its music soundtrack features an array of music from Rihanna, J. Dash, Light Asylum, Lita Solis & Audrey Carpentier Mballa, and some classical pieces.
The casting by Christel Baras is incredible as it feature notable small roles from Damien Chapelle and Rabah Nait Oufella as a couple of Marieme’s friends late in the film, Dielika Coulibaly as a prostitute named Monica that Marieme also befriends late in the film, Binta Diop and Chance N’Guessan as a couple of Marieme’s younger sisters, Siminia Soumare as a former gang member in Bebe, Djibril Gueye as the drug dealer/businessman Abou, Idrissa Diabate as a young man Marieme falls for in Ismael, and Cyril Mendy as Marieme’s abusive older brother Djibril. Marietou Toure and Lindsay Karamoh are amazing in their respective roles as Fily and Adiatou as two gang members who both like to have fun as they take Marieme into their gang as they would be impressed with her determination and sense of loyalty.
Assa Sylla is brilliant as Sophie/Lady as the gang leader who takes a liking to Marieme as she is wowed by her loyalty as well as realizing she can count on someone during the toughest of times. Finally, there’s Karidja Toure in a phenomenal performance as Marieme/Vic as a 16-year old woman living in the projects as she deals with limited prospects as she drops out of school and joins a gang as she goes on a discovery of her identity while dealing with an oppressive home life as Toure’s performance is one filled with anguish but also moments that are just lively as it is a major breakthrough for Toure.
Bande de filles is a spectacular film from Celine Sciamma that features an incredible leading performance from Karidja Toure. Along with its ensemble that includes its trio of young women in Assa Sylla, Marietou Toure, and Lindsay Karamoh, exploration of French-African culture, gorgeous visuals, and a hypnotic music score and soundtrack. The film is truly unique in its exploration of womanhood told from a different voice and world that will seem foreign to many yet has similarities in how black women choose to define themselves no matter the circumstances and their refusal to be identified a certain way. In the end, Bande de filles is a tremendous film from Celine Sciamma.
Celine Sciamma Films: (Water Lillies) – (Tomboy (2011 film)) – Portrait of a Lady on Fire – Petite Maman
© thevoid99 2021
