Vital Signs (2009 film)

Vital Signs (French: Les signes vitaux) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Sophie Deraspe and released in 2009.[1] The film stars Marie-Hélène Bellavance as Simone, a young woman who responds to the death of her grandmother by abandoning her university studies to volunteer as a caregiver for the dying in a palliative care centre, while simultaneously juggling her casual relationship with musician Boris (Francis Ducharme).[2]

Vital Signs
FrenchLes signes vitaux
Directed bySophie Deraspe
Written bySophie Deraspe
Produced byNicolas Fonseca
StarringMarie-Hélène Bellavance
Francis Ducharme
Marie Brassard
CinematographySophie Deraspe
Edited byS. Madeleine Leblanc
Music byJean-François Laporte
Krista Muir
Production
company
Les Films Siamois
Release date
  • October 3, 2009 (2009-10-03) (FNC)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench

The cast also includes Marie Brassard, Suzanne St-Michel, Danielle Ouimet and Danielle Fichaud.

The film was noted for the casting of Bellavance, a double leg amputee, in a role where her disability was part of the fabric of the character's life but not the primary narrative focus of the story, as well as for depicting Simone as a character who still had a sexual life instead of the more common film portrayal of disability as a barrier to sexuality.[3]

The film premiered at the Festival du nouveau cinéma in October 2009.[4] It was subsequently screened at the Whistler Film Festival, where it won the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film and Bellavance won the award for Best Performance in a Canadian Film.[5] It went into general theatrical release in 2010.[1]

The film received three Prix Jutra nominations at the 13th Jutra Awards in 2011, for Best Film, Best Supporting Actress (Brassard) and Best Make-Up (Joan-Patricia Parris).[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Charles-Henri Ramond, "Signes vitaux, Les – Film de Sophie Deraspe". Films du Québec, February 5, 2010.
  2. ^ "Woman helps those 'walking their last mile'". Montreal Gazette, March 6, 2010.
  3. ^ Brian D. Johnson, "Ivan Reitman warms up Whistler". Maclean's, December 10, 2009.
  4. ^ "Some films that aren't to be missed". Montreal Gazette, October 3, 2009.
  5. ^ Marke Andrews, "Quebec director Sophie Deraspe wrote, directed and shot Borsos winner". Vancouver Sun, December 7, 2009.
  6. ^ Brendan Kelly, "Incendies leads Quebec film-award nods". Postmedia News, February 9, 2011.
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