Ponette (1996)

Director:

Jacques Doillon

Writers:

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

Release Date:

14 March 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An extremely captivating movie on how a little girl copes with her mother's death. She withdraws from all the people around her...

Plot Keywords:

Death | Little Girl | Hospital | Preteenage Heroine | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

9 wins & 3 nominations

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

Also Known As:

Ponette (USA)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Malaysia:U | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:7

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Les Films Alain Sarde

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

The most emotionally powerful movie I have ever seen.

I have wanted to see this movie for a very long time. At the time it was released, my own Mother had suddenly died and I knew that it would have been too intense for me to watch. Now, it is almost 11 years later and I have finally watched it and this is quite simply one of the most true to life portrayals of grief and the journey it becomes for really anyone. I was Ponettes age when my father died and I can completely relate to her reactions, her agony and the confusion she portrayed. I can remember asking constantly when Daddy was coming back and not really accepting the answers that people were telling me. I also recall praying and talking to my father when I was alone in my room, begging him to come back and see me when no one else was around. I even had a dream about my father that was amazingly close to Ponettes interaction with her mother. This rang so true for me that I couldn't believe the writer of this story connected things in such a realistic way. Victoire Thivisol is shockingly real in this role. I cannot believe she was only 4 years old when this was filmed! It's a fascinating study of a shields emotional response to such a tragic event and quite honestly, I am at a total loss of words as to how to describe the power of this movie. I can only tell you that if you are looking for something intense and engrossing, this would be your movie. I really appreciated the feeling it left me with at the end too.....that life is not always easy and predictable but that humans are remarkably resilient beings who can actually grow in wonderful ways from the events that challenge us the most.