An Affair to Remember: Magalie Lépine Blondeau Toplines Monia Chokri’s “Simple Comme Sylvain”

Coming off the still-fresh release of her sophomore film in Babysitter (it was a Sundance world preem albeit virtual edition), production has already begun on Monia Chokri‘s third feature, Simple Comme Sylvain. Thanks to the socials we learn that Magalie Lépine Blondeau (the actress who toplined Chokri’s brilliant 2013 short Quelqu’un d’extraordinaire) once again reteam with the director. A project that was mentioned as early as 2019 and benefitted from some Sodec and Telefilm coin is being produced by Metafilms’ Sylvain Corbeil and Nancy Grant. Production is taking place just outside of Montreal. Xavier Dolan’s regular DP André Turpin is the cinematographer here. Look for more casting news (the two male leads) to be unveiled in the weeks to come.

Sophia is 40 and has been with her partner Xavier for 10 years. Their life together is pleasant and their relationship stable, despite a certain unspoken dissatisfaction on both sides. Sophia feels she’s working too hard and doing double duty at home, while Xavier feels belittled and infantilized by Sophia. Their sex life is all too wholesome; neither complains but the spark is undeniably dead. The only seemingly solid aspects of their relationship are their social life and Sophia’s bond with her in-laws. Sophia’s life is turned upside down the day she meets Sylvain, an entrepreneur from the Laurentians. She will leave everything behind for this burning passion—maybe the last of her life.