Saturday, April 23, 2022
April “Pink Moon” Waning Crescent @49.2%; Next Full Moon, May 15.
A film reviewer for NYT, Anthony Lane, says, “Céline Sciamma’s new film taps into our secret wish to learn what our parents were like when they were young.“
Recently, I wrote about her previous excellent film, “Portrait of a Woman on Fire.” Sciamma is a genius filmmaker. The movie “Portrait” illustrates her unique applications of lighting and sounds, choreographed movement, and self-created tight scripting. Her design of “Portrait” introduced a little-recognized aspect of art, e.g., historically there have been women who achieved success as creative artists (often having fathers who were recognized artists).
“Portrait” should have received the Oscar for Best (or, at least, Foreign) Picture.
Fortunately, Sciamma has earned lots of attention. Her new film, “Petite Mamam,” receives sensitive reviews in critical publications. Sciamma does informative interviews because her genius extends to an ability to articulate details about her creations, from how they’re planned and scripted to how they’re designed, cast, and filmed.
“Petite Mamam” is a memory film inspired by Sciamma’s grandmother’s story. The two young actors are twin sisters. In the movie, in mutual fantasy, they discover each other. Eventually, they recognize themselves, while still children, as mother and daughter. Sciamma in childhood was influenced hugely by her grandmother. This film seeks to understand how that early relationship contributed to the mature director’s interests, appreciations, and artistry.
I hope to find this film streaming somewhere. Sciamma’s interviews likely are on YouTube. I’ll tune in to learn how she conceived and created her latest achievement and where its success might be leading.
Dear Friends: She’s a great filmmaker; I can’t say more or enough. Diana
Diana's Morning Blog 