Happy Mother's Day To Petite Maman
It doesn't get any better than Céline Sciamma's newest work, the Mother's Day movie to end all Mother's Day movies.
It has come to my attention through DeuxMoi—a pop culture gossip Instagram account—that Phoebe Bridgers and fiancée(?) Paul Mescal were at the AMC in Kips Bay recently in order to see Petite Maman. I have quite a few questions regarding this occurrence.
What exact date did they go? As I also saw Petite Maman at the AMC Kips Bay…
Is there a reason they went to Kips Bay as opposed to the more “artsy” Angelika or Film at Lincoln Center?
Are they staying in Kips Bay?
Do they have the AMC Stubs pass?
Did they get Buncha Crunch?
What do the two of them think about the Nicole Kidman AMC preview?
Do you think they stopped at Bella Union before the showing like we did?
How many times has Phoebe seen Portrait of a Lady on Fire?
Do you think Paul is calling up Celine as we speak to book a role in her next film?
Do you think they’ll see Men next?
These are all great questions (thank you), but the one that I didn’t need to ask is: Did they like the movie? Of course, they did. They have great taste, and Petite Maman is one of the best movies in years.
Lost in the hubbub of Doctor Strange, Petite Maman is a must-see film in spite of the fact that Neon hasn’t done that great of a job promoting it. I guess that’s more understandable than in most instances, however, because I’m not totally sure what I would do to push it.
At 72 minutes, Petite Maman is a small (in size, not scope) sci-fi(ish) French film starring two unheralded young sister actresses with minimal action, dialogue and exposition. It’s the quintessential mother-daughter story that focuses on loss and pain without ever becoming too mawkish. This all sounds bleak, but the movie is also upbeat, funny and ultimately optimistic. It’s like a warm blanket and it knows when to disappear before wearing out its welcome.
Dropping around Mother’s Day makes a lot of sense for Petite Maman, but it really could come out any time and necessitate a theatrical viewing. This, along with The Worst Person in the World and Everything Everywhere All at Once are my favorite movies since the covid pandemic began and all have some similar traits in attempting to find the good in twisted and overwhelming circumstances.
I guess the point of all this is to convince you to go see Petite Maman. That’s really it. Have a nice day.
To be clear, I know that Mother’s Day is over, but this is as good a chance as any to recommend 20th Century Women, one of my favorite movies of the 21st century.
Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, Elle Fanning and Lucas Jade Zumann all give pitch-perfect performances in this introspective dramedy, and I really can’t say enough about it. The entry-level summary of this one is that a mother enlists the help of two younger women to help raise her son and then hijinks and chaos ensue. Mike Mills makes personal movies that connect to all audiences and 20th Century Women is the best that he’s done so far. I really can’t recommend it enough.
And yes (as previously mentioned) I know that Mother’s Day has already come and gone, but we’re just early for next year. Time to buy some blu-rays for your moms.