De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (2005)

Director:

Jacques Audiard

Writers:

Jacques Audiard (writer)
Tonino Benacquista (writer)

Release Date:

16 March 2005 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Music

Plot:

Should Tom (Duris) make like his thuggish father or pursue his dream of becoming a pianist?

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | Remake | Intimidation | Murder | Buddy

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 17 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Romain Duris	...	Thomas Seyr
Niels Arestrup	...	Robert Seyr
Jonathan Zaccaï	...	Fabrice
Gilles Cohen	...	Sami
Linh Dan Pham	...	Miao Lin
Aure Atika	...	Aline
Emmanuelle Devos	...	Chris
Anton Yakovlev	...	Minskov
Mélanie Laurent	...	Minskov's Girlfriend
Agnès Aubé	...	Woman
Etienne Dirand	...	Old Man
Denis Falgoux	...	Metreur
Serge Boutleroff	...	Man (as Serge Onteniente)
Sandy Whitelaw	...	Mr. Fox
Emmanuel Finkiel	...	Conservatory Professor

Also Known As:

The Beat That My Heart Skipped (International: English title)

Runtime:

Germany:107 min | Japan:108 min | USA:108 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Cantonese | English | Russian | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Taiwan:R-12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:11 | Ireland:15A | Germany:16 | Hungary:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | France:U | Australia:M | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

91 - Café Les Jardins d'Issoire, rue de la Tombe Issoire, Paris 14, Paris, France

Company:

Why Not Productions

Trivia:

The laptop Tom uses to record his piano practice with is an Apple Titanium Powerbook G4 and his cell phone is a Samsung SGH S307.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Fingers (1978)

Slumlords

This is a first for the French cinema, the remake of an American film, when just the opposite is what happens always. The Americans love to redo what some French director did before, with mediocre results. "The Beat that my Heart Skipped" was adapted for the screen by Jacques Audiard and Tonino Benaquesta, from the 1978 film by James Toback, an under appreciated director that deserves more credit for his work in this country. Mr. Audiard directed the French version.

As a character study of Thomas, the film somewhat succeeds in presenting his ambivalence as a petty criminal and as a frustrated pianist that is trying to regain his skill in playing the instrument. Thomas is, from all accounts, an ugly character that will engage in all kinds of under handed situations in order to make a living. Most of the motivation in Thomas' actions is driven by his loyalty to his small crook father, who is constantly nagging him to take care of the old man's criminal activities as well.

In Romain Duris, director Audiard gets a multi layered performance that is what keeps the film going. Mr. Duris, an intense actor, is the dominant figure in the movie, and perhaps the excuse for seeing the film. Nils Arestrup, as the father, has also some good moments.