Film commentary: The Little Things in Life
A tender and delicate film. An invitation to take the time to look at and appreciate the poetry of everyday life that sometimes escapes us because of habit, the little things in life.The short film can also be interpreted as a parable of the mourning of a child.
The poetic image of the little boy who flies away with the birds and then disappears, the parents' anxiety and then the hope of finding the child, evoked by the chase with a bird, can be an opportunity to explain to children the principle of figures of speech such as allegory or, more simply, comparison.
Adifficult exercise, but why not suggest that children personify an abstract notion, difficult to express in words, such as time, friendship, joy, using concrete things like animals.
Like children's drawings, the deliberate simplicity of the cut-out paper characters and watercolour backgrounds will certainly invite children to imagine characters and invent their own story.
Discover another film by the director on the portal
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Discover the dreamlike world of Benjamin GibeauxDiscover the application Small things
"Petites choses" extends the delicate and poetic universe of the short film and invites children to look for the keys that will free a bird from its cage. An application adapted to very young children. From 2 years old.Download on the Apple Store
Question the film: The little things in life
Understand the story, the theme, express your sensibility and exercise your critical mind.A tender and delicate film. An invitation to take the time to look at and appreciate the poetry of everyday life, which sometimes escapes us because of habit, in the small things of life.
According to the director, the short film can also be appreciated as a naive and light story, but can also be interpreted as a parable of a child's mourning. The poetic image of the little boy who flies away with the birds and then disappears, the parents' anxiety and then the hope of finding the child, evoked by the chase with a bird, can be an opportunity to explain to children the principle of figures of speech such as allegory or more simply comparison.
Like the children's drawings, the deliberate simplicity of the paper cut-out characters and watercolour backgrounds will certainly invite children to imagine characters and invent their own story.
1 Do you recognise the building at the beginning of the film?
The Eiffel Tower.
2 In which city does the film take place?
Paris.
3 What everyday objects do we see in the film?
Houses, lampposts, a pushchair, cars, a flower, a small car, a bench, birds, a flowerpot, an ice-cream seller, a small windmill, aerials, umbrellas, a puddle, a man painting a wall, a tree, leaves in the wind, a lady at the window, a homeless person, children playing ball, a balloon seller, a train, a cat.
4 How does the director show the rain on the buildings (3 min 5 sec)?
He uses watercolour as a technique and lets the paint soak into the paper.
5 How does the little boy disappear?
He disappears in the flight of birds.
6 Why do the parents follow the bird?
He thinks he can find their child.
Download the PDF of the film's educational activities
Created with the support of the Ministry of Education and the CNC.Viewing of the film with the family, educational activities with parents at home and with teachers in class.
Imagining dialogues (French) (Cycle 2 and 3)
Educational activities proposed by Valérie from the blog Val 10 based on the film Les petites choses de la vie.
Making a painting with several hands (Visual arts) (Cycle 2 and 3)
Educational activities proposedby Valérie from the Val 10 blogbased onthe film The Little Things in Life.
Discover other educational sheets created with the support of the Ministry of Education and the CNC...
