PONETTE

PONETTE is a rare film willing to take a four-year-old’s questions about God, death, and the afterlife seriously. It is a wrenching tear-jerker, but its sorrow is not empty. The film’s spiritual questions can strike a deep chord in anyone who has wrestled with faith and human frailty.

The film also presents some Christian truths, including prayer, Christ, and the resurrection, while giving false ideas equal weight. Its final wisdom—that Ponette must “learn to be happy”—is troubling because it lacks reference to God and suggests that peace can be mentally willed without Him.

Adults who value thought-provoking drama and can bear intense grief should see it; overly sensitive viewers should stay away.

Four-year-old Ponette is injured in a car accident that kills her mother. Sent to live with her aunt and two young cousins, she is surrounded by competing explanations about death, God, and the afterlife.

Ponette searches for truth with the limited understanding of a young child. Her questions lead her through grief, confusion, prayer, and the influence of those who claim to understand spiritual realities.

Four stars means PONETTE is exceptionally effective filmmaking. Victoire Thivisol’s performance is amazing, both breathtaking and heartrending. Her close-range portrayal captures a child’s suffering with remarkable emotional force.

The cinematography strengthens that performance by filming Thivisol’s expressive face from close range and odd angles, intensifying the emotion. The result is a magnificent, deeply affecting drama whose artistic power matches the seriousness of its questions.

PONETTE treats questions about God, faith, death, and the afterlife with gravity and respect. The film includes Christian truths, prayer, discussions of Christ, and the resurrection story of Christ. Its recurring crucifixion imagery deepens its religious atmosphere.

At the same time, Ponette is bombarded with conflicting ideas. Some are nonsensical, such as the claim that magic candies can raise the dead. Ada, who calls herself “a child of God,” claims to speak directly with God and influence His decisions. The film treats these ideas alongside Christian elements rather than clearly distinguishing truth from error.

The ending affirms life but gives Ponette the instruction to “learn to be happy.” That answer is strangely empty because it implies that peace and happiness can be mentally willed without God’s help. The film ultimately raises profound spiritual questions but does not offer a fully satisfying answer grounded in God.

Still, its central longing is real: the human desire to know truth and find peace. Scripture gives a firmer promise: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

PONETTE is beautifully acted, magnificently filmed, and unafraid to ask serious questions about faith and grief. Its Christian elements are meaningful, but its final answer is spiritually incomplete. For adults prepared for its emotional intensity, WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For more family-friendly viewing, see.