Days of Happiness (French: Les jours heureux) is a 2023 Canadian drama film written and directed by Chloé Robichaud. The film stars Sophie Desmarais as Emma, an orchestra conductor who is navigating her toxic relationship with her father and agent Patrick (Sylvain Marcel) and her budding new romantic relationship with Naëlle (Nour Belkhiria) as she considers a great new career opportunity with a prestigious orchestra.[2]
| Days of Happiness | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| French | Les jours heureux |
| Directed by | Chloé Robichaud |
| Written by | Chloé Robichaud |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ariel Methot-Bellemare |
| Edited by | Yvann Thibaudeau |
Production company | Item 7 |
| Distributed by | Maison 4:3 |
Release date |
|
Running time | 118 minutes[1] |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
Cast
edit- Sophie Desmarais as Emma[1]
- Sylvain Marcel as Patrick[1]
- Nour Belkhiria as Naëlle[1]
- Maude Guérin[3]
- Vincent Leclerc[3]
- Yves Jacques[3]
- Katherine Levac[3]
Production
editMembers of the Orchestre Métropolitain perform in the film as the orchestra Emma leads, and real-life OM conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin served as a creative consultant on the film to ensure that it represented the dynamics of orchestral performance and management accurately.[4]
Release
editDays of Happiness had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023.[5][1] It was slated to be commercially released in October 2023.[3]
Critical response
editPat Mullen of That Shelf wrote that "Comparisons to Tár are inevitable, but any similarity begins and end with the lead characters being lesbian conductors with a grasp for Mahler. (Although one can easily imagine an alternate ending to Days of Happiness that sees Emma conducting Monster Hunter after hitting rock bottom!) Where Lydia Tár is a virtuoso, but kind of an awful person (deliciously so), Emma desperately needs to escape her toxic relationships. She unravels when she approaches the precipice of losing everything."[6]
He praised Desmarais's performance, writing that she "daringly commits to her performance and creates a character with a dynamic psyche. Emma’s career demands her to be a conductor in the sense of the word that’s synonymous with a conduit. She must interpret emotional traits of a piece and translate that for the orchestra. Desmarais therefore affords Emma great emotional intelligence and depth. Music is Emma’s only outlet and Desmarais channels these emotions into her hand movements and posture, creating a character who exudes musicality."[6]
Awards
edit| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directors Guild of Canada | 2023 | Best Direction in a Feature Film | Chloé Robichaud | Nominated | [7] |
| Prix Iris | December 8, 2024 | Best Actress | Sophie Desmarais | Pending | [8] |
| Best Sound | Sylvain Bellemare, Luc Boudrias, François Goupil, Stephen De Oliveira | Pending |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Days of Happiness". TIFF. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "Sophie Desmarais en cheffe d’orchestre étoile dans Les jours heureux". Ici Radio-Canada, May 10, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Maxime Demers, "Une première bande-annonce du film «Les jours heureux» de Chloé Robichaud a été dévoilée". Le Journal de Québec, May 10, 2023.
- ^ Olivier du Ruisseau, "Clap de fin pour «Les jours heureux»". Le Devoir, July 7, 2022.
- ^ Anthony D'Alessandro, "TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders ‘Dumb Money’, ‘The Holdovers’, ‘Rustin’; Starry Pics For Sale With Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More". Deadline Hollywood, July 24, 2023.
- ^ a b Pat Mullen, "TIFF 2023: Days of Happiness Review". That Shelf, September 9, 2023.
- ^ Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Women Talking leads film nominees for 2023 DGC Awards". Playback, September 20, 2023.
- ^ Éric Lavallée, "Prix Iris 2024: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Leads “Quebec Oscars” Noms". Ioncinema, October 9, 2024.
