
Days of Happiness, the latest drama from Montreal-based writer-director Chloé Robichaud, is an emotionally complex, visually assured drama about a young orchestra conductor who finds herself at a crossroads in her life and career.
Charismatic, gifted Emma (Sophie Desmarais) is a rising star, on track to become a major player on the Montreal classical music scene. Audiences are enraptured by her work, and a dream opportunity is put before her. However, her career is very closely managed by her controlling father, Patrick (Sylvain Marcel), who’s also her agent. And her attention, along with her heart, are at the same time pulled towards her secret relationship with Naëlle, a single mother and cellist.
Just like the music she conducts intensifies,swells, and crescendos on stage, tension builds with the complex relationships around her. With a fierce sense of determination, she is only just beginning to realize she can have the life she deserves, if she fights for it.
Days of Happiness examines familiar territory – the musician battling her demons – but with a fresh, engaging touch.
VOX
Sophie Desmarais, Sylvain Marcel, Nour Belkhiria, Maude Guérin, Vincent Leclerc
Canada
2023
Panorama
In French with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Producer
Pierre Even
Screenwriter
Chloé Robichaud
Cinematography
Ariel Méthot
Editor
Yvann Thibaudeau
Production Design
Louisa Schabas
Director

Chloé Robichaud
Screenwriter-director, Chloé Robichaud’s career is already well-established. In 2013, at the age of 25, her first feature
film, Sarah Prefers to Run, was part of the official selection for the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard. A year earlier, Herd Leader, was also screened at Cannes, and received a nomination for the Palme d’or of short films. Chloé has
also worked in television, directing episodes of the popular series, Trop, which garnered her a nomination for Best Direction-comedy at the 2018 Gémeaux Awards. More notably, she has helmed episodes of the popular Canadian series, Transplant, which airs on CTV and NBC. Chloé is currently in pre-production on a new adaptation of the legendary Quebecois cult film, Deux femmes en or. Born in Quebec City, Chloé Robichaud now lives and works in Montreal.
Filmography: Sarah Prefers to Run (2013); Boundaries (2016)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
That They May Face the Rising Sun
John and Kate have moved from London to a farm in Ireland, to the bemusement of the locals. This lyrical Irish reverie taps deep wells of feeling in the stuff of everyday life.
Secret Mall Apartment
The stranger-than-fiction true story of a group of artists who built and furnished a hidden apartment inside a mall, remaining undetected for years. This is an absurdly fun and surprisingly profound film about gentrification and art.
The Encampments
When pro-Palestine protests took hold of Columbia last year, the filmmakers were there from the beginning. This documentary charts the mounting tensions between students and the administration, as the protests were picked up across North America.
The Teacher
In this potent thriller, English teacher Basem witnesses the murder of a teenager by a Israeli settler. While the subsequent investigation rolls slowly towards a foregone conclusion, the teacher is caught up in a parallel kidnapping case...
Bob Trevino Likes It
When her toxic, narcissistic dad cuts her out of his life, Lily Trevino looks him up on Facebook and happens across his namesake, Bob (John Leguizamo), a gentle, genial contractor who lives nearby, and who proves an altogether better dad...
A Duke Ellington Tribute with the Mike Braverman Sextet
After a scintillating session of Duke standards performed by The Mike Braverman Sextet, enjoy a roundup of Ellingtonia on Film: his first short sound films from the late 20s and 30s, and clips from the scores he composed in the 50s and 60s.