Ponette
Hmm … I hate to be the one who has the negative review of this movie, but something about this felt oddly wrong to me. I know there will be some who are quite bemused by the general praising of Victoire Thivisol’s “performance” in this movie – the kind of people who can’t remember, in fact don’t even seem to believe, that they were once children and that children are just little people with all the capabilities of bigger people etc etc, and therefore how could anyone so young as this girl actually “act”? – and I want to start by saying that’s so not how I approached the movie, even though my reaction to her performance was not as enthusiastic as I expected it to be. Anyone who knows me will know I’m perfectly willing to believe a 5-year-old can understand exactly what she’s being asked to do. But though what emotion there is here is heartbreaking, overwhelming even – I cried pretty much from start to finish, don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful movie – it’s clear to me that it had a lot more to do with luck in the shooting and a great discovery in Victoire than some miraculous god-given talent.
I’m loathe to get so specific, because, again, don’t get me wrong I still loved this movie (just not as much as I wanted) – but just take the scene where the other kids put Ponette in the dustbin … she starts to cry and they let her out; then, as she climbs out, the lid is slammed on her hand clearly by accident and as she exits the screen she’s clearly crying even more and it’s obvious they couldn’t reshoot what preceeds it any better hence the ‘goof’ stays. Like I say, I hate to get so pedantic about it, but I think it needs to be said. Certainly, it’s amazing how natural Victoire was in front of the camera at such a young age, and the same must be said for all her young co-stars … but I don’t know if it should really be called acting.
In the end, though, how can you really deny this movie’s power? I’d be shocked by anyone who doesn’t turn into a bawling baby in the very first scene where Ponette starts to cry on the trunk of the car being told about her mum. It’s one of the most heartwrenching things I’ve ever seen, and it’s really not surprising that the movie struggles to match that level of emotion for the duration, valiantly though it tries. It’s as undeniably a must-see as it gets if only for that moment alone.