Ponette is a 1996 French film directed by Jacques Doillon. The film centers on four-year-old Ponette (Victoire Thivisol), who is coming to terms with the death of her mother in a car crash.
The film received acclaim for Thivisol's performance, who was only four at the time of filming.
Plot Before the film begins, Ponette's mother dies in a car crash, which Ponette herself survives with only a broken arm (she consequently must wear an arm cast).
Following her mother's death, Ponette's father (Xavier Beauvois) leaves the young girl with her Aunt Claire (Claire Nebout), and her cousins Matiaz (Matiaz Bureau Caton) and Delphine (Delphine Schiltz). Ponette and her cousins are later sent to a boarding school. There, the loss of her mother becomes even more harsh and painful when she is mocked on the playground for being motherless. The New York Times Movies
Not yet having come to terms with her mother's death, Ponette searches for her. Ponette becomes increasingly withdrawn, and spends most of her time waiting for her mother to come back.
When waiting alone fails, Ponette enlists the help of her school friend Ada (Léopoldine Serre) to help her become a "child of God" to hopefully convince God to return her mother, in vain.
In the end, Ponette visits a cemetery and cries for her mother, who suddenly appears to comfort her and ask her to live her life and not be sad all the time. Her mother (played by Marie Trintignant) says she cannot keep coming back, so Ponette must move on and go be happy with her father.
Then, it appears that her mother gives her a sweater that she did not bring to the cemetery, and her father comments when he sees her that "I haven't seen that sweater in a while".
Cast Victoire Thivisol as Ponette Delphine Schiltz as Delphine Matiaz Bureau Caton as Matiaz Léopoldine Serre as Ada Marie Trintignant as Mother Xavier Beauvois as Father Claire Nebout as Aunt Claire
Critical response On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92%, based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10.
Accolades Award / Film FestivalCategoryRecipients and nomineesResultNational Board of Review AwardTop Foreign Films New York Film Critics Circle AwardBest Foreign Language Film Online Film Critics Society AwardBest Foreign Language Film Online Film & Television Association AwardBest Breakthrough Performance - FemaleVictoire Thivisol Best Foreign Language Film São Paulo International Film FestivalCritics Prize Satellite AwardBest Foreign Language Film Society of Texas Film Critics AwardsBest Foreign Film Venice Film FestivalVolpi Cup for Best ActressVictoire Thivisol FIPRESCI Prize OCIC Award Sergio Trasatti Award Golden Lion Young Artist AwardBest Family Foreign Film Best Young Performer in a Foreign FilmVictoire Thivisol
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