The daily life of a bicycle courier, who keeps a podcast in which he promotes his conspiratorial ideas, is turned upside down by the arrival of a new neighbor. The great fascination he feels for this famous influencer will have consequences.
Posted yesterday at 11:30 a.m.
The particularity of Patrice Laliberté’s second feature film (Until the decline) is mainly due to his style. Shot with a smartphone as a camera, the film benefits from the lightness and flexibility that the director was able to take advantage of by shooting scenes that probably could not have been captured in the same way otherwise. A few of them turn out to be quite spectacular, especially those where we closely follow the protagonist – a bicycle courier in the service of a rather sleazy boss (Marc Beaupré) – in the traffic of downtown Montreal. .
Very nice day is thus distinguished by its breathless rhythm, by the dynamism of the staging, as well as by this way of wanting to draw the spectator into a story well anchored in the air of the times.
Alas, the scenario, written however with eight hands (Nicolas Krief, Patrice Laliberté, Guillaume Laurin and Geneviève Beaupré are the signatories), is not really up to par. Several tracks are taken only to be practically abandoned along the way. Even if it is normal for peripheral characters to pass through in a story built around the life of a courier, it would still have been interesting to learn more about the star influencer (Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse) and the fascination she exercises with her new neighbour.
We would especially have liked to know also how the solitary protagonist has gradually sunk for 10 years in his conspiratorial aims, which he now describes in a podcast show. This young man indeed believes that he is now living in a parallel world since the prophecy of the Mayas about the end of the world – or did they foresee the end of a world? – supposed to occur in 2012. Yes, but still?
The shortcomings of the scenario are however compensated by the very feverish approach of the scenario writer and his realization, very tense. Guillaume Laurin, faithful accomplice of the filmmaker, also offers a good performance. But beyond the style, this Very nice day undoubtedly had the potential to be an even more beautiful one.
Showing this Friday
Drama
Very nice day
Patrice Laliberte
With Guillaume Laurin, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, Marc Beaupré
1:15 a.m.