PONETTE

France, 1996, 97 minutes, Colour.
Victoire Thivisol, Delphine Schiltz, Matiaz Bulow Caton, Marie Trintignant.
Directed by Jacques Doillon.

Ponette is an extraordinary achievement in terms of performances by children. Writer-director Jacques Doillon shows enormous sensitivity towards the children, capturing their language, attitudes, games they play with each other. He also coaxes performances from the children, especially Victoire Thivisol who, at the age of four, won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival in 1996.

While the film is about children, it is also about death. It shows a bereaved father who finds it very difficult to cope with the death of his wife in a car accident, sounding as if he blamed her. His four-year-old daughter is grieving, wants to see her mother again, understands in some way that her mother has died and gone to Heaven. However, she pines for her mother, is cared for by a kindly aunt and a schoolteacher. She is also playing with her two little cousins who sometimes taunt her, sometimes torment her. As does another bullying boy who tells her that her mother died because she was mean.

The film shows in great detail the grief of the child, her trying to understand what is going on, her trying to cope with God language, Jesus language and her mother being in Heaven.

The film is very moving in its portrait of the children. It is also very interesting and stimulating for an adult audience to speculate on the kind of language that they would use about life after death, especially in the Christian tradition (and in the French tradition in which this film is firmly set).

Victoire Thivisol later appeared as Juliet Binoche’s daughter in the film Chocolat.

1.The appeal of the film? To adults? To children? The awards?

2.French sensibility, French countryside setting, the portrait of French families? French issues about death, about God, about the church?

3.The quality of the performances, Victoire Thivisol at the age of four and winning an award? Natural? Doillon’s screenplay and his reliance on the attitudes, speech and games of children?

4.The opening with Ponette travelling with her father, his comments about the accident, blaming his wife, Ponette being injured? The end with the father taking Ponette back after her experience in the country? The journey framework, the audience making the same journey with Ponette?

5.The opening with Ponette in the hospital, her injury? The mother’s death, the nature of the accident, her not being to blame, her being a careful driver? The portrait of the father, his anger? Ponette and her feeling some blame? Surviving? The nature of the conversation in the car?

6.The father and his reaction, his age, experience, not ready for such a tragedy? Trying to deal with Ponette? His loving Ponette, not wanting her to die, his vow with her and their spitting? His coping with her imagination, the religious issues and her (his?) forbidding about God and Jesus? His second visit, her behaviour? The end, her having visited her mother’s grave, Ponette explaining that she had seen her mother? His taking her home? Their future together?

7.Ponette, her age, her child- and infant-like experience, the impact of the accident, on herself and her injury? In the hospital, sucking her thumb? Travelling, sad, her love for her father, meeting her cousins, the care of Clare?

8.Death and the experience of death at Ponette’s age, her relationship with her mother, feeling her absence, wanting to talk with her, her dreams, her imagination? Her continually crying and withdrawing? Her listening for her mother? Clare, her kindness, her religious language, Ponette accusing her of not telling the truth after listening to her father? Mathias, his age, his stories, his affection for Ponette and showing it, stories about death? Delphine, her love, helping Ponette? Luce and her coming to visit? The boys and girls in the school, at night, the conversations? The discussions about boyfriends, playing in the schoolyard, classes – and Ponette on the margins? Her feeling sick in class and Delphine helping her? The boy saying that she was mean and that’s why her mother died? Her fight with him? Aurore and her taking Ponette to the chapel, talking about God, praying? The issues of God listening?

9.Ponette at home with her cousins, the character of Clare, her kindness? The children and their games? The school staff?

10.The screenplay’s issues of God, death, accidents, tragedy? Prayer and God listening or not? Images of God? Language of Jesus? Language of Heaven?

11.The adults, their differing views, their help? Aurore and her character?

12.The children, the detailed attention to their language, classes, play, curiosity – and the overtones of sexuality? The role of the teachers and their help?

13.The cemetery, Ponette going, the morbid aspects of her grief, her dreams, hopes?

14.The vision of her mother at the cemetery, her mother’s character, talking to her, her love for her, helping her to cope, saying she had to go, describing her accident? Ponette being able to cope with her mother’s leaving after this experience? Her coping for the future or not?

15.A film of sensitivity, challenge to attitudes about death, the afterlife?