The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (original title)

Director:

Jacques Audiard

Writers:

Jacques Audiard
Tonino Benacquista
(more)

Release Date:

16 March 2005 (France)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Music | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Will Thomas still lead a life of crime and cruelty, just like his thuggish father, or will he pursue his dream of becoming a pianist?

Plot Keywords:

Piano | Pianist | Love | Concert Pianist | Money

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 Onteniente	...	Man
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 Yermak	...	Audience member (uncredited)

Directed by
Jacques Audiard

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jacques Audiard
Tonino Benacquista
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
Laurence Boulet	....	additional hair assistant
Pierre Chavialle	....	key hair stylist
Isabelle Goulliart	....	additional makeup artist
Frédérique Ney	....	key makeup artist
Dorota Okulicz	....	additional makeup artist (as Dorota Okulicz-Kozaryn)
Emmanuel Pitois	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Martine Cassinelli	....	production manager
Laurencina Lam	....	post-production manager
Claire Langmann	....	general manager
Patrick Le Goc	....	unit manager
Thibault Spiral	....	assistant unit manager
Monica Taverna	....	assistant production manager
Monica Taverna	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vincent Dachet	....	second assistant director
Denis Kralj	....	assistant director: location
Christelle Lahaye	....	additional assistant director
Félicie Leguay	....	assistant director trainee
Serge Onteniente	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Stéphane Becimol	....	assistant decorator
Marie Cheminal	....	set dresser
Florent Coulbouée	....	carpenter
Christophe Deyris	....	carpenter
David Fargot	....	painter
Antoine Galinié	....	props
Jean-Michel Guerrin	....	carpenter
Jean-Michel Guérin	....	constructor
Sophie Lampkin	....	key painter
Thierry Lautout	....	painter
Chloé Leguay	....	assistant decorator
Sandrine Mauvezin	....	set dresser
Christophe Perruchi	....	property master
François Scala	....	carpenter
Martinus Van Lunen	....	construction manager
Jean-Claude Waeyaert	....	carpenter (as Jean-Claude Waeyert)

Sound Department
Philippe Amouroux	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jean-Philippe Angelini	....	post-synchronisation
Nicolas Cantin	....	boom operator
Nicolas d'Halluin	....	sound recordist
Xavier Drouault	....	foley artist
Isabelle Filippi	....	post-synchronisation
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Cyril Holtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nikolas Javelle	....	sound editor
Lionel Le Bras	....	boom operator
Jean-Louis Lebras	....	boom operator (as Jean-Louis Le Bras)
Alexis Leverve	....	sound mixer
Vincent Milner	....	foley artist
Johann Nallet	....	sound recordist
Sandy Notarianni	....	dialogue editor
Philippe Penot	....	foley artist
Julien Sicart	....	additional boom operator
Brigitte Taillandier	....	sound
Pascal Villard	....	supervising sound editor
Pascal Vonhatten	....	sound recordist (as Pascal Von Hatten)

Special Effects by
Hubert Devinck	....	rain effects
Philippe Hubin	....	special effects supervisor
Philippe Hubin	....	special effects
Denis Le Doyen	....	rain effects
Sylvain Magnaud	....	rain effects

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

Stunts
Alain Barbier	....	stunts
Sybille Blouin	....	stunts
Jean-Claude Bonnichon	....	stunts
Michel Carliez	....	stunt coordinator
Yves Girard	....	stunts
Albert Goldberg	....	stunts
Christian Hening	....	stunts
Patrick Médioni	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Arnaud Carney	....	additional assistant camera
Marc Casi	....	additional grip
Xavier Cholet	....	gaffer
Marie Decourt	....	second assistant camera
Aurélien Dubois	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Isabelle Dumas	....	first assistant camera
Jean-Bernard Josko	....	additional grip
Malek Krimed	....	assistant camera
Jean-Claude Lother	....	still photographer
Luis Peralta	....	additional electrician
Sébastien Plessis	....	electrician
Luc Reyrolle	....	electrician
Carlos Ribeiro	....	additional grip
Stéphane Rouillon	....	grip
Hervé Rousset	....	additional grip
Christophe Sournac	....	additional electrician
Joel Spinola	....	electrician (as Joël Spinola)
Michel Strasser	....	key grip

Casting Department
Cécile Chaspoul	....	extras casting
Stéphanie Nataf	....	extras casting
Marion Touitou	....	casting assistant

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
Fabien Pascal	....	color timer
Carlos Pinto	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Edouard Dubois	....	music consultant
Frédéric Fortuny	....	music consultant
Thomas Jamois	....	soundtrack coordinator
Stéphane Reichart	....	music scoring mixer

Other crew
Pascal Bayse	....	groupman
Eric Dupressoir	....	groupman
Sylvia Pain	....	production administrator
Georges Polonia	....	groupman
Harmel Sbraire	....	coach: actors
Hervé Taini	....	groupman
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

• UGC Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• 1More Film (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Arthouse Traffic (2006) (Ukraine) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• BIM Distribuzione (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Best Film (2006) (Poland) (theatrical)
• Bio Rex Distribution (2006) (Finland) (theatrical) (DVD)
• Camera Film (2005) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2005) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Happinet Corporation (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• JMH Distribution (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Kino Bez Granits (2006) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Media Suits (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2006) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Palace Films (2006) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Pandasia Entertainment (2005) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Polyfilm (2005) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Pro Films (2006) (Bulgaria) (theatrical)
• Remstar Distribution (2005) (Canada) (theatrical) (Québec)
• Tour de Force (2006) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Vértigo Films (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Wellspring Media (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Amazonia Films (2005-2012) (Venezuela) (all media)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Genius Products (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Remstar Films (2005) (Canada) (all media)

Also Known As:

"De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté" - France (original 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:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | France:U | Australia:M | USA:Unrated | 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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Why Not Productions

Trivia:

Romain Duris's sister is a pianist, and she is the one who taught him to play piano for this film.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Fingers (1978)

Dreary

I like French movies. Most of the time. But The Beat that My Heart Skipped is a real yawn. The story of a thug-for-hire who really wants to play the piano sounds about as pretentious as you can get, but I don't hold that against it. In other hands it could have been brilliant but this episodic disjointed, glum little film is very far from brilliant.

There are some nice scenes and original ideas here, but never nice or original enough to make you care about the characters. Thomas Seyr is good in the lead role but there's only so much he can do in this bitty, unrelentingly downbeat film.

On the plus side, the soundtrack is vibrant and does its best to lift the movie, but every time you think something really pivotal's going to happen... it doesn't.

The best thing about this film is it's lovely title. The film doesn't deserve it.