Ponette (1996)

An extremely captivating movie on how a little girl copes with her mother's death. She withdraws from all the people around her, waiting for her mother to come back. She tries waiting, and ... See full summary »

Director:

Jacques Doillon

Writers:

Jacques Doillon, Brune Compagnon (scenario collaborator: for first draft)

Stars:

Victoire Thivisol, Delphine Schiltz, Matiaz Bureau Caton

11 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Victoire Thivisol	...	Ponette
Delphine Schiltz	...	Delphine
Matiaz Bureau Caton	...	Matiaz
Léopoldine Serre	...	Ada
Marie Trintignant	...	La mère
Xavier Beauvois	...	Le père
Claire Nebout	...	La tante
Aurélie Vérillon	...	Aurélie
Henri Berthon	...	L'Instituteur
Carla Ibled	...	Carla
Luckie Royer	...	Luce
Antoine du Merle	...	Antoine
Marianne Favre	...	Marianne
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hadrien Bouvier	...	Extra
Benjamin Lemaire	...	Anthony

Storyline

An extremely captivating movie on how a little girl copes with her mother's death. She withdraws from all the people around her, waiting for her mother to come back. She tries waiting, and when her mother still doesn't appear, tries magic chants, praying to God, and then becoming a child of God, to have some power over Him. All to no avail. But then, when she is in despair, her mother does come back ...

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Plot Keywords:

death | little girl | arm cast | loss of mother | accidental death | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

14 March 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

I mikri Ponette

Filming Locations:

Saint-Auban-sur-l'Ouvèze, Drôme, France

Box Office

Gross:

$1,351,319 (USA) (26 September 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Alain Sarde, Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Centre Européen Cinématographique Rhône-Alpes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The magic spell the kids say, "Ta'ali Takum", is actually the "Talitha koum" of Jesus. In Mark 5:41, Jesus says the phrase "Talitha koum" (Aramaic for "Little girl, get up") to a dead girl, when he resurrects her.

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Goofs

In the cemetery scene, Ponette is shown piling dirt onto her legs as she kneels beside the grave. In the next shot, her legs have no dirt and her pants are clean.

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Quotes

Matiaz: Ponette's waiting for her mom.
La tante: It's just a game.
Matiaz: No, she's really waiting.

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Connections

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

User Reviews

An amazing performance that goes beyond acting

My wife and I viewed this film without any prior knowledge of its quality (or even of its existence!) To say the least, we were extremely impressed. We find it difficult to understand how the director managed to create situations where these wonderful children could perform so magnificently. The storyline is certainly simplistic, but the film's greatness comes from the marvelous interactions between the young children which go well beyond acting as we normally understand it. These interactions are so authentic that the storyline as such becomes a secondary consideration. One reviewer critized the 'fantasy' ending of the film saying that it somehow broke the flow of the story...

But, I for one appreciate the fact that the creators of this film allowed us to regain our composure before the lights went back on !