A TINY girl tries to come to terms with the tragic death of her mother in a car accident. We journey with Ponette (Victoire Thivisol) as she copes with the harshest of realities, along the way receiving inconsistent advice from adults and her young friends.

Ponette's father (Xavier Beauvois) has left her in the care of her aunt (Claire Nebout) and young cousins. At four years old, Ponette is totally impressionable, and so in trying to comprehend the events that have taken place she accepts every piece of advice given to her at face value.

She undertakes a quest for truth. Ponette is told of Jesus's resurrection, her own mother in heaven, magic words (from her young cousins) to resurrect the dead and trials of God. But the real question is: Can Ponette accept what has happened? 

The beauty of this film is in the director's ability to take us into Ponette's world. People are seen from a child's perspective. The adults are like bad referees at a football match, making decisions no one understands and, annoyingly, that no one can question.

Victoire Thivisol's performance, for which she won the Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival, is exquisite. The other children are so cute that you want to jump into the film and give them huge hugs. I left the cinema feeling great.