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
Whispers in the Woods
A luxuriant, healing immersion in nature with ravishing wildlife photography, this is the cinematic equivalent of "forest bathing," a trip deep into the Vosges, France, with photographer Vincent Munier (The Velvet Queen), his father and his son.
King Arthur's Night
John Bolton's film of Niall McNeil and Marcus Youssef's musical staging recreates Camelot at Harrison Hot Springs. It's a self-referential piece which joyfully reframes a classical narrative through the prisms of disability, inclusivity, and imagination.
