Symphony of Life: The Film Murmurs A Natural Symbiosis with the OM

On November 1^st, Marie-Julie Dallaire’s film Murmurs will have a lavish premiere: a screening at the Maison symphonique, with its original score of Anaïs Larocque performed live by the Orchestre Métropolitain under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. As the finishing touches are being put on the work, the director and composer share their thoughts on this remarkable collaboration, shaped by both nature and art.

It all began with diver and underwater filmmaker Mario Cyr, who had long dreamed of a documentary without narration, driven solely by nature. He pitches the idea to Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who comes on board with the Orchestre Métropolitain. The project travelled from production company PVP Media to TV5, which sought to give the nascent project a cinematic dimension.

“That’s how I came to the project!” says Marie-Julie Dallaire.

Active behind the camera for thirty years, this former participant on the Course destination monde television series notably won acclaim in 2021 with her documentary Comme une vague, which earned three Iris Awards.

The challenge she accepted was an ambitious one: to celebrate local wildlife by breaking with the conventions of classic wildlife documentaries. “We had to think about the project in a different way,” continues Dallaire. “So I surrounded myself with a team from the world of fiction. ‘Doing things differently’ remained our mantra from beginning to end…”

This desire to “do things differently” also resonates with young composer Anaïs Larocque, who is collaborating with the director and the Orchestre Métropolitain for the first time. “We shared much the same artistic vision for the project, as well as a similar sensitivity to its subject matter and the film’s underlying philosophy.”

Stories Without Words

murmurs is a fresco of life that is experienced rather than explained. Gannets, belugas, grey seals, polar bears… The viewer observes the wildlife on-screen, but the wildlife also observes the viewer.

“I wanted to take that sense of curiosity we feel when we find ourselves in nature, and recreate it on the screen,” explains the filmmaker. “However, what’s fascinating is that we’re being observed a lot too! The animals look towards the camera, calling upon the viewers. They get the impression that they’re going to see animals, but instead the animals are watching them! A connection is made.”

Beyond creating this exchange, the director further focused on this observational approach: “The idea was to adopt a humble perspective and highlight the fact that these animals have consciousness, emotions, and individuality.” Because each animal is a unique individual, as the director reminds us. However, “it’s not easy to show that visually,” she acknowledges. “We found settings that managed to convey that each white-tailed deer or seal is different. That’s the film’s main intention.”

Sound and Image in Harmony

Marie-Julie Dallaire repeatedly emphasizes the central role that music plays in the project.

“We wanted to reveal the animals’ emotions,” she explains. “As the music interprets the images in a sensitive way, the pieces composed by Anaïs Larocque bear the names of emotions aroused during the creative process: nightmare, hope, etc. The goal was for sound and image to become inseparable.”

The composer said she was particularly inspired by Nordic music, “the kind that evokes vast open spaces, the breath of the wind, and a certain sense of introspection.” She cites the works of the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, Viktor Orri Árnason and Ólafur Arnalds, whose compositions are distinguished by their sensitivity and subtle blend of organic, vocal and electronic textures.

On November 1^st, the public will have the opportunity to hear the original score by Anaïs Larocque, performed by the Orchestre Métropolitain, under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, fulfilling a long-held dream for the composer. A true symphony of life, brought to the stage on a grand scale, in perfect symbiosis with Marie-Julie Dallaire’s striking images on screen.