The Beat That My Heart Skipped
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Gilles Cohen, Jonathan Zaccaï, Linh Dan Pham, Niels Arestrup, Romain DurisBrand: Genius
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: French (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language); Russian (Original Language); Vietnamese (Original Language)
Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-22
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Wellspring
Product features:
- BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, THE (DVD MOVIE)
Movie Reviews of The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Movie Review: Duties or Dream, Choose Your Life: Roman Duris Is Simply Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
Riveting French drama "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" is loosely based on the 1978 film `Fingers' starring young Harvey Keitel. Yes, it's a remake, a French one remaking American film, a very rare case these days when Hollywood produces so many remakes. But ask any French film directors or French actors about their favorite American film, and their answers would be invariably the American films in the 70s, like `Mean Street.' So there's nothing strange about remaking Harvey Keitel film, right?
Anyway, Roman Duris perfectly plays Tom working for a real estate agent, but the reality about his job is far from respectable, such as kicking out the poor residents onto the street, or harassing the tenants with lots of rats carried in a bag. To be fair, Tom is not enjoying the job. But the fact that does not change that he is angry, dissatisfied, and unhappy. And his father who shows up before him with a new fiancée is no help. Or perhaps, worse than no help in his case.
But Tom was once a pianist with promising career. One night he meets his former piano teacher, and is persuaded to have an audition. To follow the dream of being a concert pianist, Tom hires a young female Chinese pianist Miao-Lin as tutor, who does not speak French at all. While he keeps practicing, Tom must do his dirty jobs, including the ones that his silently overbearing father gave specially to him, about one deal with Russian mafia.
[ALL ABOUT TOM] The synopsis sounds like a gangster film or a noir film, but "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" is actually about one young man Tom torn between the two sets of values. I should not mention much about the content, but back in the 70s they made this kind of films about one person (like `Taxi Driver') and this film remind me of those days. What happens to him is not a big action - you can vaguely feel it from the tone of the film. In spite of the music inserted here and there, the feeling of the film is a very subdued one, reflecting the intelligence of the director Jacques Audiard, whose previous film was a unique mixture of thriller and quietness, `Read My Lips.'
The camera, without using flashy techniques, follows the character of Tom, as if in love with the person. Roman Duris, who was terribly miscast in his previous `Arsène Lupin' as the title role, well-deserves the minute attention of the camera, who is absolutely convincing with nuanced acting as the tormented (but very seductive) youth.
The different ending of the film is justified, which matches the complex personality of the hero. Harvey Keitel and his acting was great in `Fingers,' just electrifying like young DeNiro or Pacino. Roman Duris, who is equally great here, and his vivid acting too, would bring back the memories of the days when one ordinary man's life could be a subject of a fascinating feature-length film.
Summary of The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 06/19/2007 Run time: 107 minutesThe Beat That My Heart Skipped could single-handedly give remakes a good name. Based on the 1978 American movie Fingers, The Beat... stars Romain Duris (L'Auberge Espagnole) as Tom, a hoodlum who works the shady side of real estate--evicting poor families from slums, cutting quick and dirty deals in the middle of the night--following in the footsteps of his sleazy father. But clearly Tom loathes both himself and everything he does. One night he accidentally runs into the man who managed Tom's mother, who was a pianist; the manager asks Tom himself to audition, as Tom once showed promise. All at once Tom hires a tutor and neglects his "duties," raising the ire of his cohorts but starting to make himself happy. This could be hokum about the power of art, but Duris' performance is so visceral, so emotionally vivid and engaging, that The Beat That My Heart Skipped becomes a remarkable parable about the danger of betraying yourself--all the more powerful because Tom's life doesn't simply get better, it grows dangerously more complicated. A superb movie with excellent performances throughout, making Duris' standout work all the more impressive. --Bret Fetzer
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