Backo is captivating here, and she works through Samira’s pain by gradually connecting with her fellow patients at the clinic. Her performance runs the gamut of human emotion and requires her to go to some very vulnerable places, and she does so with aplomb.
The rest of the ensemble is good, with Canadian icons Mary Walsh, Sheila McCarthy, and Pamela Sinha (who also wrote the screenplay) on board in supporting roles. Each of them brings something extra to the role, with Walsh as the acerbic Mildred, McCarthy as a hyper-competitive Joyce, and Sinha as Rosemary, a woman so terrified of losing the one thing she truly values that she refuses to take hold of it in the first place.
Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2020/09/viff-review-happy-place-is-a-powerful-story-about-living-with-trauma/
VIFF 2020: ‘Happy Place’ Is a Powerful Story About Living With Trauma | Awesome Friday!
