Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Prefers to Run).
In Chloé Robichaud's debut feature, which had its premiere at Cannes last May, a young Quebec track star (Sophie Desmarais) engages in a marriage of convenience with a male friend so she can join a university track team. When a possible heart defect threatens her track career, it's a too-obvious metaphor for Sarah's confused romantic inclinations. Sarah's gradual realization that conventional marriage might not be her best course is signalled too early to bring about any real surprise. The main interest here is rising star Sophie Desmarais, who offers an astutely understated performance as a young woman fumbling her way into adulthood.
At VIFF: Oct. 2, 11 a.m., International Village; Oct. 3, 9:15 p.m., IV; Oct. 4, 1 p.m., IV
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