This film recounts the grieving process of a four-year-old child who has lost her mother, the pain of the loss, of not finding answers, of not finding explanations of the unimaginable. It also shows how the people around the child experience are void. The children as well as the adults all try to offer an explanation. Seen like that, the film could seem awfully sad. But Ponette is also and especially a magnificent reflection on facing death in childhood, on the stages of grief, on all that is unexplainable. On this point, and rightly so, the end of the film should fuel a debate: did this really happen, or was this the product of Ponette's wild imagination? I think that, if we don't ponder this, we pass over one of the major elements of the work.

You have to accept the ending on the child's terms. The entire film is spent at the child's level, so when the ending comes you have to believe in children's logic. Ponette doesn't see her mother coming back to life briefly as illogical, so neither should we. When you return to an adult's perspective, it is obviously a dream or a hallucination. It is quite natural for those who have lost a loved one to imagine that loved one returning in a dream state and telling you to move on, so I think it is quite realistic. I wish though that this was made more obvious; the ambiguity is a flaw. Perhaps it is for the children's audience; the ending is trying to work to both adults and children.

That little girl truly is amazing. She makes me want to see Chocolat again because she has a big role in that. Definitely a talent for the future!

This 1996 French film is reminiscent of an earlier French film from the 60s; Serge Bourguignon's "Sundays and Cybele", which also featured an astounding performance by a young girl, the remarkable Patricia Gozzi (Rapture '65)

Director/Writer Jacques Doillon has achieved the almost impossible with this production, in fact it would seem as if the story was built around the talents of its remarkable young child star; four year old Victoire Thivisol. Very few four year olds could manage the intense work required to bring this story to life. The Director (and or Producer) has wisely gathered a crew of highly specialized technical professionals, who create the incredible illusion the viewer is following the lives of the characters as they unfold.

Cinematographer: Caroline Champetier is known for her vivid Documentaries and features (Of Gods and Men '10 ~ Last Days in Jerusalem '11 ~ The Bear '88) Then, to piece the images together seamlessly, they chose Editor/Director: Jacquelne (Fano) Lecompte, known for her collaborations with documentary director Francois Bel. Both Bel and Lecompte won awards for their "Territory of Others" in 1970. When you also add to the above, Camera Operator/Director of Photography: Julien Hirsch (Korkoro '09) they made for a very solid collaborative team - all documentary trained filmmakers of renown.

Some reviewers have quite reasonably drawn attention to the use of such a young cast for a highly emotional subject...dealing with the death of a beloved parent (in this case the girls own mother) This child has numerous harrowing scenes, including clawing at the earth of her mother's grave begging for her to "come back"! The method chosen for ending the film is good, but a little jarring...with the appearance of the girls mother! This could be taken as a child's imaginings, but these scenes are filled with very 'real' details - leaving the viewer unsure. Ponette's mother is played by Marie Trintignant, who just a few years later would sadly go to her own grave at only 41. With so many tears of tragedy needed throughout the entire story, it makes one wonder about the methods of prompting required to elicit so much from a four year old?

The film makers and distributors must also have been concerned, as the video cover features an entire two page disclaimer - regarding managing the effects on the child star --written by a Psychologist--. Makes you wonder. Composer Philippe Sarde (Tess '79 ~ The Bear '88 ~ The Tenant '76) has written a sensitively expressive music score that's never intrusive. The adult characters in the early stages of the film can seem a little sketchy, with Ponette's father abandoning his grieving daughter by going away for an unexplained reason, leaving her in boarding school or with various relatives. Some of the scenes with her Auntie (and cousin's) do manage to achieve a level of interest and thoughtfulness.

A beautiful film for those who like a special kind of story telling or love children. The Tartan VHS release is OK, but appears to be a rare find on DVD.