Chloe and I are back for Days 3 & 4 of the 44th Vancouver International Film Festival, and these two days delivered an extraordinary mix of humor, emotional depth, and cinematic craft.
Day 3 opened with Philippe Falardeau’s Lovely Day, a Montreal-set dark comedy following a groom whose wedding day spirals into panic, family chaos, and personal reflection — a uniquely Canadian, heartfelt story. Next came the Dardenne brothers’ Young Mothers, a raw, unflinching portrait of five women navigating motherhood in a communal home, told with the Dardennes’ trademark social realism. Nouvelle Vague, Richard Linklater’s homage to Godard and the French New Wave, offered cinephiles a stylish, black-and-white ode to creativity, chaos, and the birth of modern cinema. The day closed with Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, a biting, darkly comedic satire of corporate competition and moral compromise starring Lee Byung-hun — tense, witty, and disturbingly relatable.
Day 4 shifted gears into the absurd, the ethereal, and the intense. Nirvanna The Band The Show: The Movie brought Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s meta-comedy to the big screen, blending time-travel hijinks, heartfelt absurdity, and the chaotic spirit of Toronto’s indie music scene. Dance Of The Living (La Lucha) followed with a tender, gripping drama about a father and daughter navigating grief, generational tension, and the cultural rituals of traditional Canarian wrestling — a quiet but emotionally powerful highlight of the festival. The day wrapped with After The Hunt, Luca Guadagnino’s taut, morally complex academic drama starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield, exploring sexual misconduct, ethics, and hidden pasts — an intense and thought-provoking closer.
From grounded realism to meta-comedy, artful homage, and emotionally charged storytelling, these two days perfectly captured what makes VIFF magical — bold voices, daring stories, and unforgettable cinematic moments. Tune in as we break down the films, share our reactions, and celebrate the heart of VIFF 2025.
Steve Stebbing 