3.5 out of 5 stars
When it comes to mourning, filmmakers have depicted this reality of humanity in various ways throughout cinematic history. Grief has been a vehicle to travel into the darker recesses of the human psyche and then come out on the road to the pure celebration of life. French writer/director Céline Sciamma (Tomboy) takes the keys of grief and drives it in a different direction that could only make sense in a child's mind.
Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) is an eight-year-old who must confront the loss of her beloved maternal grandmother at an early age. Soon after her grandmother’s passing, the little girl joins her parents as they go to clean out the family home. It was the house that her mother (Nina Meurisse) had grown up in and the whole process becomes quite traumatic for her. She eventually leaves Nelly and her husband (Stéphane Varupenne) to finish the packing process. While Nelly works through her own grieving journey, she wants to help her dad, but does less packing and more playing in the woods where her mother had done the same when she was a child.
As the young girl walks through the vast trails of the forest, she comes upon Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), who is building a hut out of tree branches. The second girl invites Nelly to join her in constructing the makeshift shelter. As they befriend one another, they discover something remarkable. Both girls have an uncanny resemblance to one another, and their homes looked just alike, but as if they were decorated in different eras. Since they only have a few days to develop their friendship, the two of them must determine who they indeed are, if they are travelling through time and what this means to them.
What is evident from Céline Sciamma's story is how she relishes in the simplicity of a child-like existence while choosing to take on the complexities of life’s bigger subjects. She capitalises on the minimalist use of dialogue and relies on pure visual storytelling to convey grief and maturation of this little girl. There is no grand explanation of how Nelly and Marion came to be in the same place and time, except for the purpose of both of these characters working through the death of a loved one. There is a beauty and a clarity that can only be shown through the mind of a child that makes this all work.
Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz are captivating and carry the weight of this production on their talented shoulders. Their obvious natural connection adds a level of genuineness to the film that manages to cover any less than precise moments within the narrative. Stéphane Varupenne and Nina Meurisse capture the moment's emotions and provide support to their on-screen daughter. All the while, the whole film is reliant on the young stars who will capture the hearts of audiences around the world and may encourage more parents to let their children play in the woods.
REEL DIALOGUE: O Death where is your sting?
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:18
Death is one of the certainties of life, but we all respond differently when confronted with it. Fortunately, God does not leave people without an answer during these times of grief. He is a God who can truly weep with those who are weeping, because his Son died, too. He is near to the brokenhearted and can provide hope during a time that will inevitably affect everyone in one way or another.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. -John 11:25
