The Beat That My Heart Skipped

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

Moviecut—The Beat That My Heart Skipped

As I have said previously French films can either be very good or like this one where the director seems more concerned with an esoteric format to produce what is in the end nothing.The film starts with potential but degenerates into a series of angst that the main character is attempting to resolve.This leads to a very disjointed movie where nothing of consequence happens and the viewer is left to employ some form of rational to begin to understand the story line. Experimental cinema has a place but to regard this movie as some form of new wave is a gross misunderstanding. I believe that there is a cult of film making and watching that "like the Emperors new clothes" permeates the industry where begin,middle and end are inconsequential and there more avant Gard they appear the more they are accepted.Techniques are fine but they must be employed within the frame work of a genuine story told in believable format with the enjoyment or compulsion of the watcher paramount.It is fine line between puerile rubbish and this type of film but an attempt to relate to the masters of previous successful productions would lead to far more success than this banal attempt to be modernistic and yet void of real incident.

Having seen Sur mes levres and liked it a lot, and having read reviews of this one that made it sound even better, I had high expectations. Alas, my initial disappointment with the opening scenes was confirmed as the film went on. I couldn't believe a single character except the father's mistress, Christine, played by Emmanuelle Devos, who made the film live for the two brief scenes in which she appeared. The first of those was quite early on, and I thought that the film was going to pull itself together and turn into something really good; but she disappeared then until another short scene quite close to the end. I found Romain Duris' performance tedious. He was not bad at the gangster bits, I suppose; but as a classical pianist, he was embarrassing to watch. To be fair, the character was just not credible -- you can't think of becoming a concert pianist if you are 28 years old and haven't practised for 10 years -- but all the swaying and drooping and bellows of anguish were so ridiculous that at times I had difficulty continuing to watch. I have no idea what point the director thought he was trying to make, and I don't think he had much of an idea either. Was he showing that it was possible to change, or that it was not? A complete waste of time, unfortunately. I just wish there were more films around with Emanuelle Devos. For an awkward woman with no real beauty, she has a presence and a power of attraction that are hard to withstand.

I think the people who have posted rave reviews for this film have seen too many movies and are ready to go nuts if the movie is in French. Honestly, there is nothing interesting about some small time thug trying to re-establish his potential as a classical piano player. I mean come on, who cares? The character is all over the place in terms of emotions and in the end amounts to little. American film buffs who drool over Euro-trash productions and see things in them that are not there, just boggle my mind. Get outside into the sun and pull some weeds, folks, you will be doing yourself a huge favor. Stop stunting your mind with artsy, pretentious movies that you think make you look like an intellectual.

I like French movies. Most of the time. But The Beat that My Heart Skipped is a real yawn. The story of a thug-for-hire who really wants to play the piano sounds about as pretentious as you can get, but I don't hold that against it. In other hands it could have been brilliant but this episodic disjointed, glum little film is very far from brilliant. There are some nice scenes and original ideas here, but never nice or original enough to make you care about the characters. Thomas Seyr is good in the lead role but there's only so much he can do in this bitty, unrelentingly downbeat film. On the plus side, the soundtrack is vibrant and does its best to lift the movie, but every time you think something really pivotal's going to happen... it doesn't. The best thing about this film is it's lovely title. The film doesn't deserve it.

THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED (Jacques Audiard - France 2005). It's usually the other way round, but this time the French took a shot at remaking an American film, James Toback's FINGERS (1978), which starred Harvey Keitel. And the result is excellent. This riveting human drama by Jacques Audiard features an impressive performance by Romain Duris as Tom, a 28 year-old hoodlum who seems destined to follow in his father's footsteps as a property shark working in a sleazy, barely legal twilight zone of the dodgy Parisian real-estate world. But a chance encounter with a former music teacher leads him to believe that he can become, like his mother, a concert pianist. With the help of a young virtuoso pianist, who just arrived from China, he starts preparing for a crucial audition, but soon the pressures from his former pals mount and he gets trapped between two opposite worlds. But Tom is not just a sensible artistic young man desperately trying to escape the world he lives in. He's not entirely sure he wants to leave his old life behind him. He's got a mean streak and when necessary, he takes care of some unresolved matters using whatever means he deems appropriate to take care of unwilling partners, squatters or whoever gets in the way of his (or his father's business interests), really putting the squeeze on people unwilling to cooperate. Romain Duris injects his role with an enormous amount of vibrancy and energy. I've never seen Duris in another role before, but his character is complex, perennially nervous, strained, angry, but incredibly charming. One moment he's in leather jacket, wiping the blood of his face after a little bashing with some squatters. The next, he's in suit and tie and negotiates with real-estate moguls. The film's atmosphere is dark, moody and downbeat, but Tom's vibrant energy and aggression firmly keeps the viewer's attention. Jacques Audiard's direction is remarkable assured. He seems to know exactly what he wants to present on the screen, never showy and a keen camera eye to give the already top-notch performances maximum impact. What's so refreshing, is that the film doesn't make a big point out of the human relationships. It never becomes overly sentimental, but at the same time all these characters are real and completely believable, just incredibly vivid characterizations. Sharply written, stylish, expertly paced, directed and performed, this is definitely one to catch. Camera Obscura --- 9/10

how do the French do it?? & why can't American film makers come close? this is a remake of the film "Fingers" released in the '70's directed by James Toback & starred Harvey Keitel. this remake is a beautifully told story that grabs you from the beginning & only lets go at the very satisfying end. brilliant acting by all, most notably Romain Duris. briefly, it is a study in the psychological make-up of a late 20's macho guy torn between his artistic nature inherited from his concert pianist mother & his real estate thug of a father. Duris walks/acts on a very high wire balancing the 2 sides & has the audience rooting for his desire to overcome his distaste for the seamy business he has "inherited" from his father. if 1 were to see only 1 film this summer, i would highly recommend this film.