2005 Movie
Dir. Jacques Audiard · France · English, French
A gangster’s son finds a new way of living in this intense, piano-playing neo-noir
The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a remake of 1978 American film Fingers, but reversed– The film brings a debt collector to piano rather than the other way around. As you can imagine, the reversal completely changes how the plot feels. It’s not great that the mom here is dead, but this choice makes Tom’s dream of piano playing more of a question and more of a subconscious character desire that drives the whole film. The change also makes the action more visceral– the film makes Tom have no choice but to start out with the violence, which, of course, leads to consequences later in the film. And on top of this, the film also adds more interest to the romance, as the language barrier pushes the connection to be bridged by music rather than words. So, sure, The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a remake, but the changes make the neo-noir a bit more original and a bit more compelling.
A ruthless real estate agent discovers a passion for piano and auditions with help from a young virtuoso, but the pressures of his corrupt career threaten to derail his musical aspirations.
"Audiard could have made the romantic side of the movie more explicit, but reticence is part of his cool."
— David Denby
"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."
— Philip Kemp
Growing weary of crime under his gangster father Robert, violent thug and real-estate broker Tom Seyr longs for a chance at something else, prompting him to resume his study of classical piano with his teacher Miao Lin.
Romain Duris. This wouldn’t have worked without his being able to juggle both the pianist and the gangster.
May we all get to shift our lives for more happier and fulfilling paths.
Berlin
1 nom
BAFTA
1 win
European Film Awards
2 noms
César Awards
8 wins · 2 noms
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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