De Battre mon Coeur s’est Arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped) (2005)
88%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 BAFTA Award
21 wins & 14 nominations total
The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a cinematic masterpiece that delves into the complexities of a man torn between two worlds and passions. Romain Duris delivers a simmering performance as Tom, a petty hood-cum-wannabe pianist, whose handsome, delicate face combines rage and vulnerability. The film’s gritty urban romance touches on the fascinating ways that music and psychological states of mind interact or clash in a dissonant and chaotic modern world. Niels Arestrup is striking as the hero’s slumlord father, and the rest of the cast delivers phenomenal performances. This film is a nuanced portrait of a conflicted young man who can never completely break away from the dark world in which he has grown up. It’s a must-see for anyone who appreciates intelligent, thought-provoking cinema.
The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a movie that will leave you feeling like you just got off a rollercoaster. Romain Duris’ performance as Tom is like watching a ticking time bomb, and you can’t help but be drawn in by his simmering intensity. The film’s exploration of the clash between two worlds and passions is both nuanced and gritty, and the music adds an extra layer of tension. It’s a must-watch for anyone who loves a good character study with a side of violence.
Production Company(ies)
National Geographic Documentary Films, Ventureland Storyteller Productions,
Distributor
Wellspring Media
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Paris, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2005
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 47m
-
Language(s):French, English, Russian, Vietnamese, Mandarin
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 1, 2005 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 22, 2005
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Romain Duris, Niels Arestrup, Linh Dan Pham, Aure Atika, Emmanuelle Devos, Jonathan Zaccaï, directed by Jacques Audiard, written by Jacques Audiard, Tonino Benacquista, Drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Peter Bradshaw, Philip Kemp, David Parkinson, Bill Muller, Niels Arestrup, Maria Full of Grace, Atanarjuat the Fast Runner, produced by Pascal Caucheteux, MPAA rating, Wellspring Media, Dolby SRD, Flat (1.85:1), violent thug, classical piano playing, passionate affair, gangster father, piano teacher, fortuitous encounter, gritty, realism, taut performance, star quality, hypnotically unstable, rage, vulnerability, gritty urban romance, psychological states of mind, dissonant, chaotic modern world, nuanced portrait, conflicted young man, French Oscars, father-son dynamics, captivating, tortured, contained passion, charming wickedness, complex film, independent, exceeded limits, dirty jobs, bloody hands, guilty conscience, intense tone, Harvey Keitel, European remake, American movie
Worldwide gross: $11,757,109
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $17,917,638
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,752
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,953,941
US/Canada gross: $1,023,424
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,559,681
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,094
US/Canada opening weekend: $65,365
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $99,615
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,934
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): 5300000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $8,077,112
Production budget ranking: 1,748
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,349,525
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,491,002
ROI to date (est.): 44%
ROI ranking: 1,176
Niels Arestrup – Robert
Linh Dan Pham – Miao Lin
Aure Atika – Aline
Emmanuelle Devos – Chris
Jonathan Zaccaï – Fabrice
Director(s)
Jacques Audiard
Writer(s)
Jacques Audiard, Tonino Benacquista
Producer(s)
Pascal Caucheteux
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Award
21 wins & 14 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (98) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (84) | Rotten (14)
Niels Arestrup is striking as the hero’s slumlord father.
April 7, 2010
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
[Duris] is pure star quality: gloweringly sexy, hypnotically unstable and needy, combining rage and vulnerability in his handsome, delicate face.
January 27, 2007
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Altogether, Audiard’s movie hangs together better than Toback’s: it’s more coherent in its construction, far less arbitrary in its dialogue, and more plausible and considered in its characterisation.
September 28, 2006
Philip Kemp
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Simmering study of a petty hood-cum-wannabe pianist succumbing to his innate violent side — but there might be a touch too much ivory tinkling for some.
April 1, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
None of this would work without Duris’ simmering performance as Tom, a person who’s struggling to find his true calling.
September 29, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
From its plot to its look, The Beat That My Heart Skipped is designed to express how it feels to be torn between two opposing worlds and passions.
September 26, 2005
Noel Murray
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Duris is phenomenal in the lead role — a good-looking wire ball of tightly-wound ill temper — as are the rest of the cast.
April 26, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Paul Dale
The List
This violent film, which swept the Cesar awards (the French Oscars) this year, provides a nuanced portrait of a conflicted young man who can never completely break away from the dark world in which he has grown up.
March 21, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Hannah Brown
Jerusalem Post
Relying on the enigmatic and sultry charisma of Romain Duris, The Beat My Heart Skipped is a mesmerising portrait of a man torn by two very different sides of his personality.
October 18, 2008
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
A gritty urban romance that touches on the various fascinating ways that music and psychological states of mind interact or clash in a dissonant and chaotic modern world.
March 28, 2007
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press
A riff that will provide great pleasures to those willing to sample a molto vivace remake of Toback’s cinematic ode to torment and obsession.
March 1, 2007
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
It’s a turgid, seemingly endless trudge through Gallic angst and ennui without one memorable performance, image, line of dialogue or note of music.
May 12, 2006 | Rating: 1/5
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review…
Plot
Twenty-eight-year-old Tom leads a life that might be termed as criminal. In doing so, he follows in the footsteps of his father, who made his money from dirty, and sometimes brutal, real estate deals. Tom is a pretty hard-boiled guy but also strangely considerate as far as his father is concerned. Somehow he appears to have arrived at a critical juncture in his life when a chance encounter prompts him to take up the piano and become a concert pianist, like his mother. He senses that this might be his final opportunity to take back his life. His piano teacher is a Chinese piano virtuoso who has recently come to live in France. She doesn’t speak a lick of French so music becomes the only language they have in common. Before long, Jacques’ bid to be a better person means that he begins to yearn for true love. But, when he finally has the chance of winning his best friend’s wife, his passion only succeeds in scaring her. And then, one day, his dubious past comes to light…
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Romain Duris delivers a “fine, torrid performance… captivating when he wants to get his way, and tortured in front of his challenges.”
Jacques-Audiard.jpg
