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The Beat that My Heart Skipped

Posted by jamesgarvin (A) on November 8, 2007 at 14:33:29

2005 French film about a man who leads many lives. On the other hand, he is a business man, managing and acquiring real estate. On the other, somewhat related to the first, he is a heavy who beats the pulp out of squatters who live in apartment building that he and his partners attempt to buy. I am not familiar with French law, but there is apparently a provision that allows a squatter (read: homeless) person to move into an apartment, and essentially legally make it their apartment. I guess landlord/tenant disputes then become handled outside the legal system with a baseball bat.

In any event, his deceased mother was a concert pianist of some note. He inherited her talent, but also apparently inherited his father's penchant for ass kicking. His father looks like those Nick Nolte mug shots we have all seen.

One day, he is looking for someone and stumbles into a concert hall during intermission. His mother's former manager/ageny recognizes him, and invites him to audition. Since his chops are not what they were, he secures the services of a piano teacher, fresh from China, who speaks not a word of French.

I like films in which characters are conflicted, where they are pulled at from different directions, and must make a choice. Here, his love of his mother, and his desire to produce beautiful music, which he loves, but is at odds with him career, which he also happens to be good at, but, well, punching people can be hamrmful to your hands. His father, who asks him to do his rough work, and who does not understand his love of music, or his desire to play piano. Enter into this equasion is a love story between two people who can only communicate through music, and who never so much as share a kiss.

It is this love that eventually changes him. The end I will not reveal, except to say that the man in the beginning of the film would have chosen a different path than the man at the end, when confronted with a situation he has confronted his entire adult life.

I understand that the plot is similar to a film starring Harvey Keitel. I have not seen that film, and cannot comment. I think an American film would have the subject swapping spit with his Chinese piano teacher, and would have spent more time on the violence. The film also contains long stretches of beautiful music, which American films seem to disregard. Recommended.

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The Cable Cooker

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