The Beat That My Heart Skipped, original French title De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté, is a French crime-drama film released in 2005. It was directed by Jacques Audiard, a man who knows well how to bring out the internal conflicts within a person on screen. It was a remake of Fingers (1978) but it differed in some ways from the original.
The movie follows the story of Thomas Seyr, played by Romain Duris. Thomas is a real estate broker on the surface but in reality he is a criminal who adopts crooked ways and uses force to make illegal deals in his business. Fabrice (Jonathan Zaccaï) and Sami (Gilles Cohen) are his business partners. Even his father (Niels Arestrup) is involved in a similar line of works and occasionally asks Thomas for his help. Although Thomas cares and tries to protect his father, his father does not exactly has the same approach towards Thomas.
Thomas on the other hand is also a very talented musician. He plays piano very well just like his mother who was a concert pianist. Once he meets his mother's manager who remembers Thomas playing well in earlier years and asks him to audition. Thomas accepts immediately and finds a teacher in Miao Lin, who has just arrived in the country and speaks nothing except Chinese and some broken English.
The movie follows the story of Thomas Seyr, played by Romain Duris. Thomas is a real estate broker on the surface but in reality he is a criminal who adopts crooked ways and uses force to make illegal deals in his business. Fabrice (Jonathan Zaccaï) and Sami (Gilles Cohen) are his business partners. Even his father (Niels Arestrup) is involved in a similar line of works and occasionally asks Thomas for his help. Although Thomas cares and tries to protect his father, his father does not exactly has the same approach towards Thomas.
Thomas on the other hand is also a very talented musician. He plays piano very well just like his mother who was a concert pianist. Once he meets his mother's manager who remembers Thomas playing well in earlier years and asks him to audition. Thomas accepts immediately and finds a teacher in Miao Lin, who has just arrived in the country and speaks nothing except Chinese and some broken English.
The story goes ahead in a linear narrative with the day-to day events in the life of Thomas. His criminal activities, piano lessons, preparing for audition, affair with the wife of his business partner, caring about his father who has fallen in danger because of some trouble with the Russian Mafia. And towards the end we see a gradual change in Thomas. Thomas is torn between his two lives - crime and music. The ending is good too. Its very real and amazing.
Overall the movie is a good watch. Musically the film hits its goal perfectly in bringing out the emotions with the right kind of music played by the character in the right moods.
The movie was received well. It won a lot of awards and praise, it received Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival, Best Film in not English language at BAFTA Awards, Best Film at The French Syndicate of Cinema Critics and a lot of César Awards.
Looks like a good watch. I like watching French movies. I think I will catch up with both the original and remake.
ReplyDeleteEven I haven't seen the original yet. It would surely make a good watch. :)
DeleteInteresting! So many things going on at the same time.The two different paths,a sure way to divergence.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review, Vinay :)
Thanks for dropping by. :)
DeleteGood review:). I haven't seen this yet:).
ReplyDeleteCatch it soon. :)
Delete