vital signs
the film
synopsis
Vital Signs: the amount of life beings have... or lack thereof.
Simone has been drifting through life as if missing something important, cut from her roots. Triggered by the death of a family member she embarks on a singular journey of helping people who are about to die. The dying have nothing to lose and need lasting moments of intimacy that Simone finds herself willing to give at no cost.
But Boris won’t let her get away with it quite that easily. He realizes how well she hides behind those intense but short-lived relationships with the soon to be dead. He won’t hesitate to provoke her in a violent burst. The defeat of self-sufficiency opens to forgiveness and the need of others. From then on she will accept his part in what makes her complete.
Through the dying we learn to laugh, admire and find a profound trust in life.
With this second feature film, Sophie Deraspe explores our relationship to the body, a map of our lifelong scabs, scars and beauty. It offers up an experience for the senses through its fine yet unsettlingly realistic photography, a strong soundtrack and an extraordinary cast that introduces singularly graceful Marie-Hélène Bellavance to a cinematic audience.
Director Statement
Real people and real stories have always fascinated me and are still my primary source of inspiration. My fiction work always starts with a deep research and draws heavily in the world of documentary both in content and style. Mixing experienced actors with new comers and drawing from their past and singularities allows them to invest their characters personally. The camera can then capture the effect of time, the marks of accidents and the moments of delights that are left on their bodies and faces. A kind of transformative beauty becomes apparent, showing strength and fragility at once.
bio sophie deraspe
Sophie Deraspe fell into cinema through visual arts and literature. As both a director and a cinematographer, she has worked mostly in documentary before directing her realism-bending first feature length film Missing Victor Pellerin (2006). Followed by critical acclaim and projections throughout the world, Sophie's realistic work has continued with her second feature film Vital Signs in 2009.
Filmography :
Missing Victor Pellerin, 35mm, Les Films Siamois, 102 min. (2006)
Vital Signs, 35mm, Les Films Siamois, 87 min. (2009)
vital signs
Crew
| Writer Director : | Sophie Deraspe |
|---|---|
| Producer : | Nicolas Fonseca |
| Photography : | Sophie Deraspe |
| Editor : | S.Madeleine Leblanc |
| Music : | Jean-François Laporte Krista Muir |
| Sound : | Frédéric Cloutier |
| Set designer : | Antonin Sorel |
| Costumes : | Patricia Mc Neil |
Distribution
| Simone | Marie-Hélène Bellavance |
|---|---|
| Boris | Francis Ducharme |
| Céline | Marie Brassard |
| Ms Perrin | Danielle Ouimet |
| Ms Mireault | Suzanne St-Michel |
| McNeil | Alan Fawcett |
| Cudici | Dominico Caputo |
| Dr Luc Richard | Marc Marans |
| Singing attendant | Bernard Arène |
| Guest Musicians | Arthur Cossette American Devices |
