Mommy is at the hairdresser (2008)

Léa Pool's Mommy is at the Hairdresser is a rather good example of a movie trying to capture the traumas of childhood. In this case, the story is about family struggles and children missing their mother who is working abroad. Rather than ending up as a film that elevates traditional gendered work and the place of the mother, the film sensitively explores tensions within a family. Even though Pool touches on some clichés of the "summer movie" - you know, the genre of films revolving around the pains of growing up - there were still enough good aspects to keep me focused. This is a film about an overwhelmed father trying to manage the situation, a kid whom everyone perceives as a burden and a daughter who befriends a local fisherman who is considered a lunatic. A quite good film with a beautifully crafted cinematography that creates an unsentimental - mostly at least - portrayal of loneliness and family life.