“Petite Maman” (PG) ***

WRITER/director Celine Sciamma’s film introduces eight-year-old Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) whose parents (Nina Meurisse and Stéphane Varupenne) are packing up where her grandmother recently died. Nelly’s mother is having difficulty coping with the pressure. 

Nelly goes to play in nearby woods where she meets another girl her age, Marion (Joséphine’s twin Gabrielle), dragging a tree trunk for the hut she’s building herself. Marion asks for help, Nelly is happy to give it. Something strange and wonderful has begun, called a friendship.

In Marion’s home, the girls make pancakes, giggling as they break eggs and pour milk into the batter, and set the table, concerned about the consequences of breaking a plate. They play dress-up. They build the hut. Marion tells Nelly it’s better than she could have imagined.

By this point in its progress, “Petite Maman” has settled down to telling us its real message. The girls are learning how to grow up. 

The serious exploration of their worries deals with an aspect of childhood seldom ventured into by adult filmmakers – treating children with respect. 

The result is a delightful, low-tension, high-intensity observation that will charm and delight audiences, played by a pair of twin sisters who gently deliver it free of adult complications. 

At Dendy and Palace Electric