The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005)

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?

Director:

Jacques Audiard

Writers:

Jacques Audiard (scenario), Tonino Benacquista (scenario)

Stars:

Romain Duris, Aure Atika, Emmanuelle Devos

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 20 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

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...

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Plot Keywords:

homosexual | gay slur | hitting head on piano keys | watching television | piano | 

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Taglines:

Can music tame the raging soul?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Wellspring Media [United States] Why Not / UGC [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French English Russian Vietnamese Mandarin

Release Date:

16 March 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

€5,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,179,031 (France), 18 March 2005

Opening Weekend USA:

$81,277, 4 July 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,023,424, 11 December 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Why Not Productions, Sédif Productions, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Quotes

Sami: Playing piano is making you flip. Stop it now!
Thomas Seyr: Nothing's making me flip. I'm not flipping. I'm having a ball. I feel fantastic, dont' you see? It's important, I'm serious about it.
Sami: You gonna make dough from pianos?
Thomas Seyr: Not pianos, the piano! It's not about making money, it's about art.
Sami: What's in it for us? You coming to meetings all, 'Hi guys, I've been playing piano.' Shit, I'll take up the banjo.
Thomas Seyr: It's over your head

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Connections

Remake of Fingers (1978)

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Soundtracks

Toccata en mi mineur
de Johann Sebastian Bach (as Bach)
Interprète piano: Caroline Duris

User Reviews

Don't miss this one (in America it's called "The Beat My Heart Skipped")

Rising French director Jacques Audiard ("Read My Lips") has naturally relocated James Toback's "Fingers" from New York City to Paris. He's also modified the Mafioso's in the original by creating a tight gang of 'real estate' brokers (brokers that break windows, dump rats, etc. to move squatters off their properties).

Basic plot line involves a young man, 'Tom', who is very much caught up in 'the life' of being a thug like his father. He pals around with his two partners and they work hard by day and party harder at night (usually ending with a barfight). Then one day he spots his deceased mother's old music agent who offers him an audition in gratitude (Tom's mother was a professional concert pianist).

What follows is an intriguing and humorous plot line as Tom takes on a piano coach (from Beijing no less) and tries to regain his affinity with the piano almost ten years after he'd stopped playing.

Extremely well-acted film with Romain Duris (as 'Tom') offering up one of those rare performances that's absolutely mesmerizing (most USA audiences will remember him from "L'Auberge espagnole" - another French film worth your time!).