This discreet little gem from the Berlin competition may have missed out on the awards yet, for many, it was simply the best film of the entire selection. Which comes as no surprise. A work so fragile that it defies adequate description, the film deftly escapes to a curious landscape, where an observant eye will take in not only all things distant, but also everything that is far removed in all other respects.
Eight-year-old Nelly has lost her granny. While her parents clear out her house, the girl decides to explore the family home and its mysterious surroundings. When Nelly’s mum suddenly drives off somewhere, opportunities arise for some wholly unforeseeable encounters... The author of the enchanting Portrait of a Lady on Fire this time seems to have got by with very little. And while this discreet gem may have missed out on an award at Berlin, for many it was simply the best film of the entire selection. Which comes as no surprise. A work so fragile that it defies adequate description, the film deftly eludes places where stories are told and conveys us to a curious yet tangible landscape. A landscape where an observant eye will take in not only all things distant, but also everything that is far removed in all other respects.
Martin Horyna
72 min / Color, DCP
Director Céline Sciamma
/ Screenplay Céline Sciamma
/ Dir. of Photography Claire Mathon
/ Music Para One
/ Editor Julien Lacheray
/ Art Director Lionel Brison
/ Producer Bénédicte Couvreur
/ Production Lilies Film
/ Coproduction France 3 cinéma
/ Cast Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphane Varupenne, Margot Abascal
/ Sales mk2 Films
Céline Sciamma (1980, Pontoise, France). Selected filmography: Water Lilies (Naissance des pieuvres, 2007), Tomboy (2011), Girlhood (Bande de filles, 2014), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, 2019), Petite Maman (2021).
mk2 Films
55, rue Traversière, 75012, Paris
France
Phone: +33 144 673 111
Fax: +33 143 072 963
E-mail: [email protected]
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