Heartbeats (2010) Les amours imaginaires (original title)

Director:

Xavier Dolan

Writer:

Xavier Dolan (scenario & dialogue)

Release Date:

29 September 2010 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The story of three close friends who are involved in a love-triangle. |

Plot Keywords:

Love Triangle | Written And Directed By Cast Member | Crying | Arthouse | Reference To George Sand

Awards:

4 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Monia Chokri	...	Marie
Niels Schneider	...	Nicolas
Xavier Dolan	...	Francis
Anne Dorval	...	Désirée
Anne-Élisabeth Bossé	...	Jeune femme 1
Olivier Morin	...	Jeune homme 1
Magalie Lépine Blondeau	...	Jeune femme 2 (as Magalie Lépine-Blondeau)
Éric Bruneau	...	Jeune homme 2
Gabriel Lessard	...	Jeune homme 3
Bénédicte Décary	...	Jeune femme 3
François Bernier	...	Baise 1
Benoît McGinnis	...	Baise 2 (as Benoit McGinnis)
François-Xavier Dufour	...	Baise 3 (as François Xavier Dufour)
Anthony Huneault	...	Antonin
Patricia Tulasne	...	Coiffeuse
Jody Hargreaves	...	Jody
Clara Palardy	...	Clara
Minou Petrowski	...	Caissière
Perrette Souplex	...	Coiffeuse
Sophie Desmarais	...	Rockabill
Louis Garrel	...	L'invité à la soirée finale

Directed by
Xavier Dolan

Writing credits
Xavier Dolan		(scenario & dialogue)

Produced by
Xavier Dolan	....	producer
Carole Mondello	....	producer
Daniel Morin	....	producer

Cinematography by
Stéphanie Anne Weber Biron		(as Stéphanie Weber-Biron)

Film Editing by
Xavier Dolan

Costume Design by
Xavier Dolan

Makeup Department
Melissa Purino	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Karl Lindsay	....	unit production manager
Erick Martinez	....	unit production manager
Carole Mondello	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nadine Brassard	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Xavier Dolan	....	visual concept

Sound Department
Sylvain Brassard	....	supervising sound editor
Benoît Dame	....	dialogue editor

Visual Effects by
Guylaine Dutil	....	visual effects producer

Camera and Electrical Department
Marie-Pierre Gratton	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Martine Leclerc	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Christian Mouzard	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sophie Beasse	....	key wardrobe dresser
Brigitte Desroches	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Serge Harvey	....	di editor
Bill Holley	....	colorist: film dailies
Charlotte Mazzinghi	....	colorist

Other crew
Diane Janna	....	location manager
Jean-Patrick Joseph	....	special equipment supplier
Audrey D. Laroche	....	production assistant (as Audrey Laroche)
Francine Lebrun	....	production coordinator
France Pelchat	....	assistant locations manager
Pascal Pelletier	....	unit manager assistant

Production Companies

• Mifilifilms
• Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit (with the participation of)
• Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) (with the participation of)
• Radio Canada Télévision (with the participation of)
• SODEC (with the support of)
• Téléfilm Canada (with the support of)

Distributors

• ABC Distribution (2010) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• ABC Distribution (2010) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• Alliance (2010) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2011) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Feelgood Entertainment (2010) (Greece) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2010) (USA) (theatrical)
• KOOL Filmdistribution (2011) (Germany) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (2010) (France) (theatrical)
• Remstar Distribution (2010) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Adrenal Film (2010) (Turkey) (all media)
• Alambique Destilaria de Ideias Unipessoal (2011) (Portugal) (all media)
• Alberto Bitelli Intl. Films (2011) (Brazil) (all media)
• Alliance (2010) (Canada) (DVD)
• Feelgood Entertainment (2011) (Greece) (DVD)
• Film1 (2011) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2010) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Homescreen (2011) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Indie Network Releasing (2011) (UK) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (all media)
• Remstar Films (2010) (Canada) (all media)

Other Companies

• Cinepool  grip and lighting equipment
• Post-Moderne  post-production facilities
• Visual Motion  camera trucks and trailers provided by

Also Known As:

"Les amours imaginaires" - Canada (original title)
"Love, Imagined" - International (English title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Ontario) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:7 | Ireland:16 | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Mile End, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Mifilifilms

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Nicolas and Marie by accident run into Francis at the Vietnamese restaurant, Francis introduces Nicolas to his friend Antony. However, in the first scene of the movie you can see that Nicolas already has met Antony as they all sit at the same dinner table. There is nothing to say that either Francis didn't realize they knew each other, or that Nicolas and Antony were merely playing dumb and avoiding an awkward situation.

Quotes:

Nicolas:Eating your cherry, Terry?
Francis:Cherries are too sweet.
Marie:Fudge is 17 times sweeter than cherries.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Great Food Truck Race: A Pinch of Salt Lake City (#2.2)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Every Breath You Take

It's not love, but that's the point

I agree with another reviewer that love is not the real subject of the film. The characters think they're feeling love, and they're certainly looking for love, but in such a shallow and conniving way they're incapable of getting beyond mere sensuality at best. This is a film which starts out superficially, as superficial as its characters. Their lack of depth is underlined by the interviews of more interesting people that we would almost rather be following, but we're stuck with this trio of narcissists trying to impress each other through attitude, clothes, and money-- each locked within his competitive self and each masturbating in his or her own way. The director's own vanity fits in perfectly with his fetishist approach, the Wong Kar Wai-like sensual slow-motion to heighten gesture and make us take a long hard look at these high-strung game players.

The viewer must be patient and wait for the second part when the film, in dealing with the repercussions from the narcissism of the first part, takes on depth. It is during the last twenty minutes that the actor/director succeeds in dealing with real emotions, not the imitation ones of the first half. Now a new tension sets in that builds to its vociferous climax where the actors are required to go beyond what they have demonstrated up to this point. Watching these neurotic Montréalians (when they finally grow up, they can be the manic-depressive characters in a Denys Arcand film), the viewer goes through the gamut of his or her own memories of attraction and rejection, bouncing around like the ping-pong balls that the expressive actors represent in their own attraction/flirtation/appeasement fluctuations. In fact, the more the film is watched with introspection, the more relevant it becomes.