It’s SIFF season, baby! Seattle’s favorite film fest returns this month with 262 films over 11 days (April 14–24) screening both in-person and online. We’re rounding up some of our favorites. Every day, expect two more recommendations on Slog.

PETITE MAMAN
France, 2022, 72 min, Dir. Céline Sciamma

This movie hit me...hard.

This movie hit me…hard. Courtesy of SIFF

Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman (“little mother”) follows eight-year-old Nelly, who temporarily moves to the countryside so her parents can clear out her late grandma’s home. Unable to deal with the loss, Nelly’s mom suddenly leaves, and later that day, Nelly meets an eight-year-old girl who looks just like her in the woods outside her home (*wink wink*). Sciamma’s tale of grief holds a quiet, spellbinding magic. It’ll make you want to call your mother immediately.

Playing at SIFF Uptown on Monday, April 18 at 9 pm.

Jas Keimig is a former staff writer at The Stranger, where they covered visual art, film, stickers, and culture.