‘Ponette’ As Drama Misses Its Mark

“Ponette” is an interesting study in the life and thought process of small children. Unfortunately, it is little more than that.

This highly-acclaimed French film and its star, youngster Victoire Thivisol, have won the hearts of reviewers and audiences worldwide for reasons unbeknownst to me.

“Ponette” is intriguing in a documentary sort of a way, but as a heart-tugging drama, it didn’t hit its mark.

Director Jacques Doillon and Thivisol, as the title character, are confronted with an unusual challenge: how to present heartbreak through the eyes of a 4-year-old. This is the age when youngsters are fully aware of what is going on around them but do not necessarily know why.

“Ponette,” the story of a young girl trying to understand and confront the death of her mother, takes this challenge head on and presents what is possibly a flawless version of a 4-year-old’s life. However, this flawlessness fails to be more than technical perfection.

The actual effectiveness of the film is somewhat suspect.

Perhaps the main problem of the film is the single-mindedness of direction. Throughout the film, Ponette hears various theories as to what happened to her mother, yet none help. So, for most of the film, Ponette is hopelessly sad. The camera rarely leaves her sullen face, and the overall dreariness of the movie detracts from what could have been a better effort.

The cast, beyond the lead, is made up of a few parts (not really characters) that are more ornaments to Ponette than anything else.

There is Ponette’s father (Xavier Beauvois), who is somewhat heartless about the loss of her mother (whether the parents were married we never learn) but who occasionally tries to comfort his daughter.

Then there are Ponette’s cousins (Matiaz Bureau and Delphine Schiltz), who are typical 4-year-olds, sometimes rejecting Ponette for her constant grieving, sometimes trying to make her feel better.

To give credit where credit is due, Thivisol is amazing. In an era where a child actor is all too often defined as Macaulay Culkin, she is charming, interesting and, above all, talented. Were it not for her standout performance, the film would have completely flopped.

As it was, “Ponette” wasn’t a wasted moviegoing experience, just too highly touted. I’ve never seen a movie that so accurately (and believably) portrays interaction among 4-year-olds. But it is not Oscar material.

Grade: C-