Le Petit prince a dit (1992) - film review

After the separation of her parents, Adam and Mélanie, 10-year old Violette is cared for by her grandmother, only seeing her busy parents when they have the time.  When Mélanie notices that her daughter has become clumsy, she asks Adam to take her to a doctor.  A medical examination reveals that Violette has a brain tumour and is likely to die within a few months.  On impulse, Adam absconds with his daughter and sets off on a long road journey to Italy, where Mélanie, an actress, is rehearsing for a play. Violette resents Adam’s new girlfriend and her only wish is to see her parents reunited.  Realising that she has only a few days left to live, Adam and Mélanie do all they can to make their daughter’s dream come true...

Although filmed with an almost naïve simplicity, Le Petit prince a dit manages to be a hugely effective film, telling a tragic tale of infant mortality with barely a trace of false sentimentality or forced melodrama.  It is the third full length film from Christine Pascal, a former actress who looked set on a high-profile career as a film director before she committed suicide in 1996, aged 42.

Pascal’s death – particularly her decision to end her own life – possibly enables us to make some sense of this film, which treats the subject of death not with overwhelming sadness, but as a natural and essential part of life.  Some of the most memorable scenes in the film are where the young Violette  reveals her awareness of her own mortality.  She sees her death approaching, but she shows little in the way of fear or regret.  Her one wish is to see her two parents reunited and happy together, and that is the only thing which appears to perturb her almost unreal state of serenity.   The film’s ambiguous ending achieves the impossible, showing that even in tragedy one can find the remnants of a happy ending.

One of the most acclaimed films released in 1992, Le Petit prince a dit won the Prix Louis Delluc and the best script award at the Montreal Festival.  The film’s impact derives in no small measure from the performances of its three lead actors.   Richard Berry’s portrayal of the dying girl’s father is so convincing that it is almost heart-breaking to watch, whilst Anémone has a rare opportunity to show her talent as an actress of no mean calibre.  Most memorable, however, is the young Marie Kleiber, who in her sole film appearance as the gutsy, seemingly indestructible Violette, brings a reassuring humanity to what is, by any standards, a devastatingly poignant story.

© James Travers 2003

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