NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (May 2023): Criterion have transferred Céline Sciamma's Petite Maman to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "Director-Approved 2K digital master". It looks as flawless as you might imagine a modern film in 1080P with the THALIA prime lenses offering a consistently cinematic look. This produces a purposefully less glossy, but distinct HD presentation with dark interiors. It is in 1.85:1 on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate.

NOTE: We have added 50 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original French language. Petite Maman has a few subtle separations - light breezes in the forest in Cergy-Pontoise northwest of Paris on the river Oise. The score is credited to Jean-Baptiste de Laubier (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Girlhood) with La Musique du Futur arranged by Arthur Simonini (who is credited a musician on Girlhood) and lyrics by director / writer Céline Sciamma. The audio transfer sounds clean with consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a new 22-minute conversation between director Céline Sciamma and filmmaker Joachim Trier discussing the inspiration for and making of Petite maman. My Life as a Zucchini was made in 2016, directed by Claude Barras and based on an adapted script by Sciamma. Ma vie de courgette (My Life as a Zucchini) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Sciamma has described the film as an important turning point in her writing process and had initially imagined Petite maman as an animated feature. There are two trailers - in French and English and the package has liner notes with an essay by author So Mayer.

Céline Sciamma's Petite Maman deals with a young girl coping with the death of her maternal grandmother and her behavior after they travel to clean out the vacant home. It shares a delicate maternal bond that exposes an unspoken duality with the eight-year old Nelly posturing as an adult, along with a friendly neighbor her own age named Marion. It is remarkably touching, bridging the differences between protection and sympathy in childhood / adulthood while coping with the grief of the matriarch through a touching dreamlike innocence. Petite Maman is a brilliant film. I was extremely pleased to watch it via the Criterion Blu-ray. I was blown away by Portrait of a Lady on Fire so my expectations were high and this did not disappoint. A definite rewatchable. Our highest recommendation!

Gary Tooze