• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation
Raising Children Network
  • Pregnancy
  • Newborns
  • Babies
  • Toddlers
  • Preschoolers
  • School age
  • Pre-teens
  • Teens
  • Grown-ups
  • Autism
  • Disability

Story

Nelly (Josephine Sanz) and her parents go to say goodbye to Nelly’s grandmother (Margot Abascal) in a nursing home. When the grandmother dies, the family heads to the home where Nelly’s mother (Nina Meurisse) grew up to pack the grandmother’s belongings.

Nelly’s mother struggles with confronting the past and leaves. Nelly and her father (Stephane Varupenne) must finish the job of packing up. While her father tackles cupboards and bookcases, Nelly searches the woods for the fabulous fort her mother once built. She crosses paths with Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), a friendly neighbour who also happens to be the 8-year-old version of her mother.

Together Nelly and Marion build the fort, and Nelly gets a chance to know a younger version of her grandmother. When Nelly tells Marion that she’s her future daughter, the girls comfort and reassure each other. This helps them prepare to face the immediate challenges that lie ahead.

Themes

Death; separation from a parent; illness and hereditary disabilities

Violence

Petite Maman has some violence. For example, we hear that a character in a play dies under suspicious circumstances.

Sexual references

Petite Maman has some sexual references. For example, Marion pretends to be a character who doesn’t know she’s pregnant and has a child.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Petite Maman shows some use of substances. For example:

  • Nelly’s father smokes a cigarette.
  • Marion’s mother drinks wine with her dinner.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity and sexual activity in Petite Maman.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Petite Maman: Coca-Cola.

Coarse language

There’s no coarse language in Petite Maman.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Petite Maman is a slow-paced French drama with English subtitles. The movie features beautiful cinematography and believable performances from all cast members. There’s also minimal dialogue, and the emotion is often in what’s left unsaid as the family processes the loss of its grandmother. Older, more mature audiences will probably enjoy this movie more than children, for whom it might lack interest.

The main messages from Petite Maman are that life can be difficult and death is heartbreaking, but the experiences we share with the people we love make it all worthwhile.

Values in Petite Maman that you could reinforce with your children include creativity, friendliness, compassion, forgiveness and love.

Petite Maman could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of spending time together and getting to know people from older generations, because life is precious and fleeting.

Supported By

  • Department of Social Services

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

  • Parenting Research Centre
  • The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

Follow us on social media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
Join 60,000 subscribers who receive free parenting news. Sign up now
Aboriginal flag (c) WAM Clothing
Torres Strait Islands flag
At raisingchildren.net.au we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, gather and work. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
  • Privacy statement
  • Terms of use

© 2006-2023 Raising Children Network (Australia) Limited. All rights reserved.

Warning: This website and the information it contains is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified practitioner.

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation (HON) and complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.