---
title: "Petite Maman: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/petite-maman/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/petite-maman"
critics_score: 85
critics_reviews: 28
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Petite Maman (2021): what the critics said

Critics' score 85 from 28 reviews: 26 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews lean strongly positive: 26 of the 28 recommend the film and none turns against it. The praise gathers in two places. First, the two young leads, twin sisters, whose easy rapport most critics name as the film’s centre and the reason its time-bending idea never feels forced. Second, Céline Sciamma’s restraint: small gestures, silent looks, a story told at a child’s eye level. Delicate, tender and small are the recurring words, all meant kindly.

The reservations are few and mild. IndieWire warns that the quiet scale may disappoint anyone expecting a larger emotional payoff; Slant finds the restraint occasionally over-calibrated; Deadline thinks some of the girls’ dialogue too sophisticated for their age; Variety calls it slight, though meaningful. The spread is narrow, running from warm to rapturous, and the two mixed scores come from reviews we could only partly read rather than from any real dissent. If critics fault it at all, it is for there not being more of it.

## Radio Times — Calum Baker

Rating 5/5. 

The critic describes the film as a tender, subtle exploration of childhood and memory. The review praises its delicate treatment of those themes.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-fa9fh6/petite-maman/)

## The Guardian — Mark Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2021. 

Kermode gives the film an ecstatic verdict, calling it an astonishing and heartbreakingly hopeful cinematic poem. He particularly praises how its time-bending conceit lets children and parents understand one another across generations.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/nov/21/petite-maman-review-celine-sciamma-heartbreakingly-hopeful-fairytale-for-all-ages)

## Empire — Helen O'Hara

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2021. 

O’Hara finds the film elegant, compelling, and enchanting, with a wistful but hopeful emotional core. She particularly praises Sciamma’s graceful visual storytelling and the natural performances of the young leads.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/petite-maman/)

## IndieWire — David Ehrlich

Rating A-. 3 March 2021. Festival review. 

Ehrlich finds the film delicate, enchanting, and emotionally resonant, though its quiet scale may disappoint viewers expecting a bigger emotional impact. He praises Sciamma’s subtle handling of the distance between parents and children, especially in small everyday moments.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/petite-maman-review-celine-sciamma-1234620853/)

## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

The critic finds the film captivating and deeply affecting, a transportive story about childhood, loss and grief. They particularly praise the Sanz twins’ performances and the joy of the scenes they share.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/petite-maman-berlin-film-festival-review)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2022. 

Chang finds the film quietly spellbinding and emotionally moving, praising its gentle, imaginative take on a mother-daughter bond. He singles out the Sanz twins’ casting and the film’s precise, beautiful images.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-04-21/petite-maman-review-celine-sciamma)

## Sight and Sound

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2021. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film an extremely small, precisely realized work that makes a moving meditation on love and grief. They praise its luminous filmmaking and the natural, joyful rapport between the young girls.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/petite-maman-celine-sciamma-forest-fairy-tale-mother-daughter-love)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2022. 

Lane calls the film a minor miracle, praising its imaginative reach and quiet emotional depth. He singles out the natural, unsentimental play between the young girls as especially charming.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/petite-maman-is-a-minor-miracle)

## Vulture — Alison Willmore

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2022. 

Willmore praises the film as a perfectly scaled, quietly devastating miniature. She singles out the natural performances of the twin girls and the film’s delicate attention to childhood intimacy.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-cline-sciammas-petite-maman.html)

## Slant Magazine — Pat Brown

Rating 3.5/4. 3 March 2021. 

Brown finds the film wistful and powerful, though its restraint can feel over-calibrated. The review praises Sciamma’s visual economy and the way silent looks and absences convey the characters’ emotional lives.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/petite-maman-review-celine-sciamma/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2021. Festival review. 

Rooney finds the film a beguiling, beautifully restrained continuation of Sciamma’s work. He especially praises the young performers’ naturalness and the film’s sensitive attention to small gestures.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/petite-maman-celine-sciamma-4142464/)

## The i Paper — Christina Newland

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. 

Newland finds the film a wonderful, painful portrait of the mother-daughter bond. She praises its delicate, unsentimental treatment of childhood play and the generations of maternal connection.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/petite-maman-review-celine-sciamma-uk-film-cinema-release-1307569)

## Time Out — Dave Calhoun

Rating 4/5. 3 March 2021. 

The review presents the film as poetic and touching. It praises Sciamma’s vision of childhood and mothering amid grief.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/petite-maman)

## Variety — Peter Debruge

Rating Critic's Pick. 3 March 2021. 

Variety presents the film as a slight but meaningful, warmly intuitive exploration of the bond between a daughter and her mother. It praises the casting of twin sisters, whose real-life connection gives the girls’ friendship an immediate sense of complicity.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/petite-maman-review-an-8-year-old-makes-a-special-connection-and-so-will-audiences-1234920118/)

## Film Comment — Amy Taubin

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 

Taubin presents the film as an elliptical, dreamlike fable about women’s intergenerational intimacy. The standfirst singles out those intimacies, but the provided text does not reveal further critical detail.

[Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/petite-maman-celine-sciamma-review/)

## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2021. Festival review. 

Ide presents the film as a delicate exploration of fragile mother-daughter bonds. The standfirst singles out that relationship as the film’s focus; the review’s fuller verdict is unavailable.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/petite-maman-berlin-review/5157693.article)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2022. 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific element praised or criticized is visible in the supplied page text.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/movies/petite-maman-review.html)

## HeyUGuys

Fi1m's normalised score 100/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

The critic considers the film practically perfect and praises Sciamma as one of the greatest living directors. They single out the girls’ easy acceptance of their time-warped friendship and the film’s understanding of childhood.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/petite-maman-review/)

## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn

Rating ★★★★★. 16 November 2021. 

Dunn praises the film as an emotionally rich, wise fairytale despite its slim story and brief runtime. He singles out the simple, joyful scenes of mother and daughter meeting as children.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/petite-maman)

## Collider — Ross Bonaime

Rating A-. 22 April 2022. 

Bonaime finds the film a staggeringly gorgeous and tender fairy tale about loss and family. He especially praises the playful, heartfelt friendship between Nelly and Marion.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/petite-maman-review-celine-sciamma/)

## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui

Rating 9/10. 7 October 2021. Festival review. 

The critic calls the film a lovely, richly simple tale of loss and grief. They praise the tender friendship between the two girls and the child actors’ ability to carry its emotional weight.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/626388/petite-maman-review-a-lovely-little-slice-of-loss-from-the-director-of-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-nyff/)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic finds the film’s modest, child-centred story of time and family quietly spellbinding, with resonance beyond its small-scale setting. They praise Sciamma’s meticulous creation of a miniature, fairytale-like world.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/petite-maman-review-3100167)

## Polygon — Katie Rife

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2022. 

The critic finds the film sensitive, delicate, and deeply moving. She singles out the Sanz twins’ unembellished performances and the film’s expressive use of small gestures.

[Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/23035890/petite-maman-review/)

## Deadline — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2021. Festival review. 

McCarthy finds the film piercingly satisfying, unusually original, and emotionally perceptive. He especially praises the naturalistic performances of the Sanz sisters, while noting that some dialogue seems too sophisticated for the girls’ ages.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2021/03/review-petite-maman-berlin-film-festival-international-critics-line-1234705612/)

## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2021. 

Wilkinson finds the film a moving, hopeful exploration of grief and parent-child connections. She praises its finely observed details and autumn setting, which she says gives the story colour and hopefulness.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/petite-maman-2021-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)

## Paste — Brianna Zigler

Rating 8.0/10. 7 October 2021. 

Zigler finds the film a stirring, profound meditation on grief and the bonds between parents and children. She especially praises the twin Sanz sisters’ performances and the film’s vivid cinematography.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/celine-sciamma/petite-maman-review)

## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 2021. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film emotionally resonant and praises Sciamma’s sensitive storytelling. The performances of the two young sisters stand out for conveying the characters’ connection with remarkable intuition.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/petite-maman-film-review-celine-sciamma-neon/)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2021. Festival review. 

The page content is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is available from the accessible text.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/petite-maman-berlin-review-20210303/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/petite-maman.md