Ponette

is given by 4 year-old Victoire Thivisol. Differences in how people deal with death and the role religion plays are brought into focus in this outstanding, thought provoking and unrelenting heartbreaking film. Death and religion are difficult enough concepts for adults but to thrust them upon a 4 year old child and watch her battle to understand why her mother is dead is captured beautifully and thoughtfully in Ponette. This is a must see.

Even on home video, PONETTE retains its remarkable power. It remains one of the most haunting and affecting studies of childhood on film. Victoire Thivisol's performance in the title role continues to be moving and totally disarming. It's a rare talent that can carry an emotionally demanding role in a film in which the lead appears in nearly every scene. The fact that it is a four year old child is simply staggering.

If there is any ground for complaint about the DVD release, it's the fact that the film appears in "Standard Format" instead of a full ratio Widescreen edition. In any event, PONETTE is a welcome addition to my DVD collection. In fact, it is a title that I wouldn't want to be without.

Nobody watching this film can failed to be touched, moved, transported and transformed by it. Others here have already expressed the enormous power of the movie, and particularly of its star, Victoire Thivisol. If you're reading this to see if you should watch it, I'd say, drop everything and go buy it so you can watch it over and over. But buy a case of Kleenex (TM) too, you're going to need them!

As I watched the movie, I had the impression that director Jacques Doillon had simply found a real-life tragedy and somehow followed the participants through it with his camera. Nothing in this film gives you the impression of having been written, scripted, staged, produced. It is all so completely natural that you experience first hand the pain, the emotional agony of Ponette, as if she were your own daughter, your own sister, even your own self.

I love everything about this film. The cast portrayed their characters well; the script presented a variety of philosophical viewpoints; and many of the interactions between the children were symbolic of religion in the adult world. Those who would be thrown off by this sort of a thing should not worry, because there are plenty of sweet moments and a very satisfying ending. And I must say that that little girl's performance was utterly stunning. Amazingly enough, she was four years old during filming. I would recommend it to anyone with a brain or a heart.

My wife and I viewed this film without any prior knowledge of its quality (or even of its existence!) To say the least, we were extremely impressed. We find it difficult to understand how the director managed to create situations where these wonderful children could perform so magnificently. The storyline is certainly simplistic, but the film's greatness comes from the marvelous interactions between the young children which go well beyond acting as we normally understand it. These interactions are so authentic that the storyline as such becomes a secondary consideration. One reviewer critized the 'fantasy' ending of the film saying that it somehow broke the flow of the story...

But, I for one appreciate the fact that the creators of this film allowed us to regain our composure before the lights went back on !