De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté 

English title: The Beat That My Heart Skipped

Genre: psychological drama

With: Romain Duris (Thomas Seyr), Niels Arestrup (his father Robert), Jonathan Zaccaï (Fabrice), Gilles Cohen (Sami), Aure Atika (Aline), Emmanuelle Devos (Chris[tine]), Linh Dan Pham (Miao Lin), Anton Yakovlev (Minskov), Mélanie Laurent (Minskov's girlfriend)

Director: Jacques Audiard

Screenplay: Jacques Audiard, Tonino Benacquista and James Toback (from Toback’s screenplay for FINGERS, circa 1977)

Release: 2005

Studio: Why Not Productions, France 3 Cinéma et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

Time To Get On With Your Life

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Story-line: young Thomas is torn between the brutal world of his pushy father (an unscrupulous businessman) and the positive influence of his late mother (a concert pianist).

Pluses: powerhouse performances by a manic Romain Duris (part Mick Jagger, part Alex from A CLOCKWORK ORANGE), the awesome Niels Arestrup and a formidable cast (Jonathan Zaccaï and Mélanie Laurent especially), a screenplay chock full of drama, humour, outrageous events, vivid characters and priceless dialogues, Jacques Audiard’s fast-paced direction, an electrifying score, pleasing cinematography and an invigorating climax.

Minuses: I didn’t fully understand the real estate dealings at issue but this is a very minor complaint.
Comments: DE BATTRE MON COEUR S'EST ARRÊTÉ begins with the poignant monologue of a son taking care of his senile father and keeps you spellbound until the very end. I can’t compare this French remake with the original FINGERS but, on its own, it certainly stands as an eye-opening, hard-hitting and slightly crazy spectacle. You won’t risk a heart attack watching this film but you may experience shortness of breath… yes, Audiard’s work is that strong and vibrant.     

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