March 17, 2006
The Beat that my Heart Skipped is based on James Toback’s Fingers, a film from the seventies starring Harvey Keitel. It’s enjoyable in the way that many films from that decade are – a proper plot, good characters, and a gritty, but still very cinematic style.
Romain Duris plays Thomas, a hyperactive, amoral chancer and slum landlord. Amongst other dodgy dealings, his job involves evicting unwanted tenants by releasing rats in the corridors. Early in the film, he encounters the piano teacher who taught him when he was a child, and Thomas is inspired to resurrect his career as a pianist. Much of the tension of the film rests in finding out whether Thomas will really be able to cut it as a professional musician. But his business partner wants him to concentrate on a big deal that’s coming up, and he’s also distracted by his dissipated father, memorably portrayed by Niels Arestrup.
It’s actually a bit of a clichéd plot – the criminal looking for redemption and a way out – but the director, Jacques Audiard, manages to make it feel convincing and original. You could also argue that the portrayal of Thomas is a little old-fashioned and sexist – despite being the sort of person who sings along to his walkman while walking down the street, he manages to seduce almost every female character in the film.
French cinema-goers may take some persuading that Romain Duris, the wally from L’Auberge Espagnole, can play such an edgy character, but he really is terrific in the role. He is cool and geeky at the same time, with a shifty energy and adolescent petulance. But by the end, he’s managed to illicit enough sympathy to get you rooting for him in every scene.
Romain Duris plays Thomas, a hyperactive, amoral chancer and slum landlord. Amongst other dodgy dealings, his job involves evicting unwanted tenants by releasing rats in the corridors. Early in the film, he encounters the piano teacher who taught him when he was a child, and Thomas is inspired to resurrect his career as a pianist. Much of the tension of the film rests in finding out whether Thomas will really be able to cut it as a professional musician. But his business partner wants him to concentrate on a big deal that’s coming up, and he’s also distracted by his dissipated father, memorably portrayed by Niels Arestrup.
It’s actually a bit of a clichéd plot – the criminal looking for redemption and a way out – but the director, Jacques Audiard, manages to make it feel convincing and original. You could also argue that the portrayal of Thomas is a little old-fashioned and sexist – despite being the sort of person who sings along to his walkman while walking down the street, he manages to seduce almost every female character in the film.
French cinema-goers may take some persuading that Romain Duris, the wally from L’Auberge Espagnole, can play such an edgy character, but he really is terrific in the role. He is cool and geeky at the same time, with a shifty energy and adolescent petulance. But by the end, he’s managed to illicit enough sympathy to get you rooting for him in every scene.