128: Petite Maman and Céline Sciamma’s temporary utopias - a podcast by Seventh Row

As authors of the ebook Portraits of resistance: The cinema of Céline Sciamma, the first book to be written about the French director, we had to talk about her new film, Petite Maman, on the podcast.

This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, Associate Editor Brett Pardy, and Contributing Editor Lindsay Pugh.

On this episode:

• Why we love Céline Sciamma and Portraits of resistance (1:45)
• Related episodes (2:49)
• Petite Mamam summary (5:07)
• Lindsay's history with Céline Sciamma's films (6:37)
• Céline Sciamma's precise attention to detail (9:02)
• Why we like this film - a non-saccharine view of childhood (11:03)
• Petite Maman's relationship to Sciamma's prior films (19:59)
• Absences and goodbyes (26:26)
• Time in the film (31:00)
• The house's space (35:38)
• The fantasy element (39:29)
• How Sciamma portrays and directs children (45:15)
• Temporary utopias (47:00)
• What would kids think of the film? (59:47)
• Empathy in the film (1:01:30)
• Conclusion (1:04:02)

Show notes:

• Read Alex's full review of Petite Maman from Berlinale 2021
• As we discuss in the episode, Petite Maman builds upon the themes we discussed in Portraits of resistance: The cinema of Céline Sciamma, the first ever book about French filmmaker Céline Sciamma, her process, her body of work. Portraits of resistance contains interviews with the cast and crew, as well as essays on the film and Céline Sciamma’s career. You can purchase the book for $26.99 Canadian or become a Seventh Row member for $39.99 Canadian per year and choose Portraits of resistance as the free ebook you receive for joining.

Related episodes:

• Ep. 96: Water Lilies and Jennifer’s Body: Girlhood and compulsory heterosexuality (Member's Only)
• Ep. 90: Jeanne Dielman and Les Rendez-vous d’Anna: A Chantal Akerman mother’s day (Member's Only)
• Ep. 84: Berlinale 2021, Part 2: The Competition (Member's Only)
• Ep. 30: Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire

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