You're Never Too Old to Heal
Added 9/14/2009
Have you or someone you've known lost parent when you were very young? When death or divorce shakes up the world of a child it can be so confusing for a child-like mind to make sense of what has happened. It's almost like our minds are made up of a long row of coat hooks. Each hook represents an experience you've had and what you've learned from it.
Let's say you go the beach at noon in the summer without sunscreen. You play in the sun for 2 hours. You're not surprised when you get sunburned. When you start feeling your skin getting hot and painful you don't cry and wonder, "what is happening to me?" You already have a mental coat hook to hang that information on because it's probably happened to you before or to someone you know.
When a child loses a parent, if nothing like that has ever happened before, there is no coat hook to hang the information on. The information seems to float around until a new coat hook gets created in your mind. Maybe that child finally meets another child who lost a parent. New coat hook: I am not alone. Or maybe that child hears an adult say something nice about the parent they lost. New coat hook: My parent was nice. Eventually as time passes the growing child may have experiences where, during a grief-stricken prayer, they feel that the Lord understands their pain and comforts them. New coat hook: It helps to pray. God can comfort me when I am hurt.
I just watched this sweet movie, called Ponette, about a little girl who lost her mother. It was comforting for me to watch this little girl's struggle to make sense of losing a parent. I was her age when my father died, so her emotions, the off-handed comments and advice from her young peers (and the few adults in the film) was so familiar! It made me realize how capable and determined children can be in making sense of their world, and how natural it can be for them to be drawn to God.
Other family members who watched it with me had never lost a parent, so the film seemed sad to them. It didn't seem sad at all to me. It was so comforting, refreshing and healing to watch; even funny at times. New coat hook: you're never to old to heal a little more.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Dealing with Loss
Added 6/16/2009
There are far, far too films made by and for adults, but created from a child's point of view. Other films of this type, and IMHO superior to this effort, are Jeux Interdit (Forbidden Games), Truffaut's L'Argent du Poche (Small Change), and of course, the same director's 400 Blows (interesting that these four are all French). This is such a film. I can't call it a masterpiece, but it is certainly worth seeing, particularly by anyone who has a child.
I don't know how they got the performance they did from Victoire Thivisol, who apparently has the ability to release the waterworks at any moment. She was astonishing. Children have qualities such as forgiveness and resiliency that too many adults have either lost or have forgotten about. This tiny actress exhibits these qualities and many more, in spades.
I would recommend this film for families. Criticisms I would put forth are that there are far too many closeups--a tendency in today's cinema. Closeups once suggested powerful emotion, and were used sparingly; when they did appear, they had maximum impact. Now films are full of them, and to me, they are the sign of laziness on the part of the director. Also, the DVD is full-screen; the beauty of the French countryside would have been much better displayed in the wide-screen format.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
finally found it!
Added 4/15/2009
I had a VHS copy of this movie from years ago and was happy to find a new copy in DVD format....this is a very touching movie about grief and loss from a young girl's point of view.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
"Catch Me A Memory" ~ A Childhood Discourse On Death, The Afterlife And The Benefits Of Magic Smarties
Added 10/25/2007
Note: French with English subtitles.
Synopsis: Little Ponette (Victoire Thivisol) has recently lost her Mother in a car accident. While her Father is loving and sympathetic towards his daughter, he offers little solace or hope to help her come to grips with her immense loss. After the funeral Ponette is left at boarding school where she attempts to deal with her loneliness with other children her own age who soon begin to offer advise on how Ponette may be able to remain in contact with her dead Mother. Death, dreams, Heaven, Jesus, the All-Mighty are all discussed by this group of bright, young minds who try and help her make sense of it all. Even the use and benefit of magic Smarties is considered as a possible avenue to the realm of the dead. Through all the grief and sorrow Ponette eventually discovers the subtle truth about such adults concerns and finds the courage to move on and accept things for what they are. After all, "Happy spirits like your Mommy never die."
Critique: `Ponette' is a thoroughly captivating French movie from '97 starring Victoire Thivisol, the most charming little four year old ever to appear on film. It's really quite disarming to witness such emotional angst portrayed so perfectly by a little child and it's all captured so intimately by the camera one almost feels as though you could reach out and comfort her. This film belongs in a category all its own, absolutely marvelous. Remember to keep a box of Kleenex close at hand when viewing.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
just let it go
Added 6/11/2007
I thought this film was beautiful in it's realism. It accurately captured the way children think and act; their beliefs being amalgamations of the doctrines of their parents and their own ideals. Of course those around Ponette do not know how to help her come to terms with her loss. Some are definitely better than others at showing empathy. After seeing the movie, though, I thought the adults portrayed did an excellent job of trying to show compassion. Her father tries but has to deal with it himself, and thus isn't very successful (which seems realistic).
I tend to repress emotion while watching film. Don't bother doing that in this one; you'll only end up with a headache like I did.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
You're Never Too Old to Heal
Added 9/14/2009
Have you or someone you've known lost parent when you were very young? When death or divorce shakes up the world of a child it can be so confusing for a child-like mind to make sense of what has happened. It's almost like our minds are made up of a long row of coat hooks. Each hook represents an experience you've had and what you've learned from it.
Let's say you go the beach at noon in the summer without sunscreen. You play in the sun for 2 hours. You're not surprised when you get sunburned. When you start feeling your skin getting hot and painful you don't cry and wonder, "what is happening to me?" You already have a mental coat hook to hang that information on because it's probably happened to you before or to someone you know.
When a child loses a parent, if nothing like that has ever happened before, there is no coat hook to hang the information on. The information seems to float around until a new coat hook gets created in your mind. Maybe that child finally meets another child who lost a parent. New coat hook: I am not alone. Or maybe that child hears an adult say something nice about the parent they lost. New coat hook: My parent was nice. Eventually as time passes the growing child may have experiences where, during a grief-stricken prayer, they feel that the Lord understands their pain and comforts them. New coat hook: It helps to pray. God can comfort me when I am hurt.
I just watched this sweet movie, called Ponette, about a little girl who lost her mother. It was comforting for me to watch this little girl's struggle to make sense of losing a parent. I was her age when my father died, so her emotions, the off-handed comments and advice from her young peers (and the few adults in the film) was so familiar! It made me realize how capable and determined children can be in making sense of their world, and how natural it can be for them to be drawn to God.
Other family members who watched it with me had never lost a parent, so the film seemed sad to them. It didn't seem sad at all to me. It was so comforting, refreshing and healing to watch; even funny at times. New coat hook: you're never to old to heal a little more.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Dealing with Loss
Added 6/16/2009
There are far, far too films made by and for adults, but created from a child's point of view. Other films of this type, and IMHO superior to this effort, are Jeux Interdit (Forbidden Games), Truffaut's L'Argent du Poche (Small Change), and of course, the same director's 400 Blows (interesting that these four are all French). This is such a film. I can't call it a masterpiece, but it is certainly worth seeing, particularly by anyone who has a child.
I don't know how they got the performance they did from Victoire Thivisol, who apparently has the ability to release the waterworks at any moment. She was astonishing. Children have qualities such as forgiveness and resiliency that too many adults have either lost or have forgotten about. This tiny actress exhibits these qualities and many more, in spades.
I would recommend this film for families. Criticisms I would put forth are that there are far too many closeups--a tendency in today's cinema. Closeups once suggested powerful emotion, and were used sparingly; when they did appear, they had maximum impact. Now films are full of them, and to me, they are the sign of laziness on the part of the director. Also, the DVD is full-screen; the beauty of the French countryside would have been much better displayed in the wide-screen format.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
finally found it!
Added 4/15/2009
I had a VHS copy of this movie from years ago and was happy to find a new copy in DVD format....this is a very touching movie about grief and loss from a young girl's point of view.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
