It’ll break your heart

The Beat That My Heart Skippeddir Jacques Audiardout nowA film that shows the transition of a man from sleazy debt collector to passionate classical pianistsounds as improbable as it does cheesy. However, Audiard’s French film, The Beat That My Heart Skipped, avoids all clichés. Intense, and more than slightly dark, it charts the emotional turmoil of Thomas Seyrs (Rromain Dduris) as he tries to break free from his life as a hard, unshakable rent fixer and fulfil his dream of becoming a musician.The film begins by sketching a picture of Thomas’ life as he visits his bosses’ properties and threatens the tenants by intimidation, violence and even by releasing live rats into their apartments. Thomas appears at first to be a sleazy bastard who enjoys his violent work and leads a life of reckless debauchery, not caring about anyone but himself. However, this all changes when he unexpectedly comes across his mother’s (a once famous concert pianist) former manager, who asks Thomas to come for an audition. Suddenly, his already frantic life becomes even more manic as he attempts to rekindle his talent as a pianist, taking lessons from a Chinese teacher, Miao-Lin (Linh-Ddam Phan) who doesn’t speak any French.Despite the language barrier, Thomasand Miao-Lin are drawn closer together through the music and Thomas’ talent is drawn out by her patience and encouragement. This tender, innocent relationship is contrastedagainst Thomas’ more daring exploits with women in the rest of the film: he embarks on a deceitful sex affair with his colleague’s wife, Aaline (Aaure Aatika) and even manages to seduce the girlfriend of a Rrussian gangster (Mélanie Laurent).The distinction between arthouse and blockbuster is definitely blurred in this movie, and Audiard manages this balance very well. On the one hand, certain elements of the film are quintessentially arthouse: the close camerawork (at one point, I thought the camera was going to hit face), the complexity of the characters, the tragedy of the plot. The direct dialogue, violence, crude sex scenes and stereotypical good guy meets bad boy dilemma, however, are all stock Hollywood devices. This is why, perhaps, this film has been brought out of France to American and Eenglish audiences. Aaudiard’s other films, such as Un Héros très discret (1996), were popular in France, but didn’t quite have the grit and drama required to attract Aamerican audiences.This is exactly what The Beat That My Heart Skipped does have, aplenty.The best scene in the movie is, without a doubt, when Thomas entershis father’s apartment to find him slumped dead on the floor. Duris’ pain and anger is utterly convincing and, unlike most gangster films, the emphasis is completely on the emotionalreaction of Thomas, rather than on his desire for revenge. acting is superb and only serves to confirm his position as one of the best French actors around at the moment. He strikes a perfect balance between the hard gangster and the passionate musician; the pain and frustration on his face when he plays the piano forces us to share the intensity of his emotions as they are released through music. Although dislikable at the beginningof the film, as he discovers the power of his music it becomes easier to identify with Thomas and become immersed in his world.This is a stunning film, beautifully shot and brilliantly written. At times, it flirts with being a bit cheesy, but ensures that the dream-world of classical music is balanced against the harsh reality of Thomas’ professional life. The Beat That My Heart Skipped is definitely worth seeing: whatever your preconceptions about French films, this film will change your mind.ARCHIVE: 4th week MT 2005