De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (2005)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Jacques Audiard

Writers:

Jacques Audiard (writer)
Tonino Benacquista (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

16 March 2005 (France)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Music | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Piano | Pianist | Real Estate | Chinese | Friend

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
Jian-Zhang	...	Jean-Pierre
Omar Habib	...	Assad
Jamal Djabou	...	Mounir
Vladislav Galard	...	Clerk
Walter Shnorkell	...	Verodin
Marianne Puech	...	Notaire
Alphonse Cemin	...	Pianist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Birgé-Cotte	...	Tom enfant
Estelle Brattesani	...	Passante
Justine Le Pottier
Aleksandra Kacprzak	...	Auditrice au concert de piano (uncredited)

Directed by
Jacques Audiard

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jacques Audiard		writer
Tonino Benacquista		writer
James Toback		earlier screenplay

Produced by
Pascal Caucheteux	....	producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Stéphane Fontaine

Film Editing by
Juliette Welfling

Casting by
Richard Rousseau
Marion Touitou

Production Design by
François Emmanuelli

Set Decoration by
Marie Cheminal
Sandrine Mauvezin

Costume Design by
Virginie Montel

Makeup Department
Frédérique Ney	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Martine Cassinelli	....	production manager
Laurencina Lam	....	post-production manager
Thibault Spiral	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Serge Boutleroff	....	first assistant director
Denis Kralj	....	assistant director: location

Sound Department
Philippe Amouroux	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nicolas Cantin	....	boom operator
Nicolas d'Halluin	....	sound recordist
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Cyril Holtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nikolas Javelle	....	sound editor
Johann Nallet	....	sound recordist
Sandy Notarianni	....	dialogue editor
Julien Sicart	....	additional boom operator
Brigitte Taillandier	....	sound
Pascal Villard	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Philippe Hubin	....	special effects supervisor
Philippe Hubin	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Bertrand Levallois	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Michel Carliez	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Arnaud Carney	....	assistant camera: Renfort
Xavier Cholet	....	gaffer
Marie Decourt	....	second assistant camera
Aurélien Dubois	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Isabelle Dumas	....	first assistant camera
Malek Krimed	....	assistant camera
Jean-Claude Lother	....	still photographer
Michel Strasser	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Olivia Lahougue	....	wardrobe
Isabelle Pannetier	....	costume supervisor
Paulette Ribot	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Marie-Pierre Frappier	....	assistant editor
Isabelle Julien	....	color timer
Charlotte Mazzinghi	....	intermediate color grader
Carlos Pinto	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Edouard Dubois	....	music consultant
Frédéric Fortuny	....	music consultant

Other crew
Nathalie Vierny	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Why Not Productions
• Sédif Productions (co-production)
• France 3 Cinéma (co-production)
• Cofimage 15 (in association with)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• Région Ile-de-France (participation)

Distributors

• Bio Rex Distribution (2006) (Finland) (theatrical) (DVD)
• 1More Film (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Happinet Corporation (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• JMH Distribution (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Kino Bez Granits (2006) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Media Suits (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Pandasia Entertainment (2005) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2006) (Norway) (theatrical)
• UGC Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Vértigo Films (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Amazonia Films (2005-2012) (Venezuela) (all media)
• BIM Distribuzione (2005) (Italy) (all media)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Genius Products (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Pro Films (2006) (Bulgaria) (all media)
• Wellspring Media (2005) (USA) (all media)

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 | English | Russian | Vietnamese | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Taiwan:R-12 | Sweden:15 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Hungary:16 | Iceland:16 | Norway:11 | 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)

Superb human drama

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