Low-stakes dramatic Sci-Fi seems to be in vogue at Venice this year if Out of Sync and Nuestros Días Más Felices are indicators. This is a trend I can get behind. Nuestros Días Más Felices (or Our Happiest Days) centres on an adult son and his aging mother, her aging highlighted by her birthday, and the estranged sister/daughter that is called back into their lives when the day after the mother’s birthday, the mother finds herself in the body of an 8-year-old.
Sol Berruezo Pichon-Rivière, the director and co-screenwriter, is only 25, but she tackled these characters, all of whom are at least a decade older than her years, with maturity and insight that belies her years. I was especially captivated by how she painted the co-dependent relationship of the mother and son. A son who has put his life on hold to be in service of his mother.
The film uses scrapbooking and cuts to a motivational speaker to break up and chapter the film. While set in the present, the film has a “ripped from time” feel to it. Until I saw a cellphone about 5 minutes in, I thought it was set in the 90s because of the skipping video, the cassette player in the car, and the colour block pattern on the son’s work uniform. I also noticed occasionally the filmmaking harkened back to the look of the filming of yore, particularly when filming the ocean. Most of this happened before the mother’s transformation, as a kind of forbearer.
I enjoyed the fact that they didn’t spend too much time pondering the how/why of the mother’s transformation into a child. Both the son and the daughter accepted it very quickly once she provided little bits of proof. By avoiding rationalization, bargaining, and trying to revert her back, they were able to explore other aspects this change provided. The obvious being the point in which the child becomes the caregiver for the parent. The less obvious being, having her in a body that was not the one they knew as their mother, allowed them to heal some of the past hurt between them. Making it possible for them to joke together.
Though the film leaned more into the drama side of things, there were moments that had more comedic undertones. A stand-out for me was when the son made a connection with the gas station attendant. The two men’s flirtation was done all in silent subtitled conversation with the background of a volcanic eruption in Iceland.
I found the subtitles difficult at times to read, especially in the beginning as they were white, and the film used a lot of white or light colours at the bottom of the frame. However, I never felt like I was missing anything. Unless they explained why the daughter was estranged, but even if they did, not knowing did not hinder my enjoyment because the reason she left was never the point of the film. This was a film about the fear of dying alone and lonely, of not being needed, and of dependency (both of a parent and the child). It was about how life is always changing and holding onto the past, be it bunnies or bad breakups, only holds you back from connecting with others.
Premiered at Venice as part of the Venice Biennale College section, it was acquired for international sales before its premiere by the Paris-based Wide.