Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Beat That My Heart Skipped Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 18, 2016

Winner of eight Cesar Awards, including Best Film and Best Director, Jacques Audiard's "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" a.k.a. "De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; deleted scenes; Q&A session with Romain Duris, Linh Dan Pham, and Tonino Benacquista; archival interviews; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Years ago, I knew a guy exactly like the one Romain Duris plays in Jacques Audiard’s film The Beat That My Heart Skipped. He was a good musician who lived a double life. He liked to play his cello and even recorded a few tapes, but also liked to spend time with guys who only cared about money. He changed before my eyes and I knew that eventually he would give up music. And he did. I don’t know where he is now or if he is happy, but I am convinced that there are days when he thinks about the career he could have had.

Duris’ character, Thomas Seyr, used to play the piano but is now working with some brokers. He isn’t happy, but he does not have time to change his life. There is always some meeting he has to attend, a deal that must be closed, or someone that needs to be roughed up. He has also given all of his money to the brokers and can’t just walk away.

Occasionally, Thomas meets his father (Niels Arestrup, A Prophet, You Will Be My Son). Like the brokers he is obsessed with money, but his deals are even shadier. He does not care much about Thomas. When they meet it is typically because he needs him to “talk” to someone that owes him money but refuses to pay him back. Thomas does not mind helping his father but has grown tired of warning him to be careful with the people he chooses to do business with.

A casual encounter with a piano professor who knew his mother pushes Thomas out of his (dis)comfort zone. Assuming that Thomas is still actively playing the piano, the professor invites him to audition for him. Shortly after, Thomas hires a young Chinese student (Linh-Dan Pham, Indochine) who has just arrived in Paris and does not speak French to help him prepare for the audition. But the more time the two spend together and Thomas rediscovers his passion for classical music, the more frustrated the brokers become with him. For a while he manages to be a good student and business partner, but eventually the pressure pushes him on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Around the same time his father also informs him that he has upset a powerful Russian businessman (Anton Yakovlev, Farewell).

Audiard’s film borrows some key elements from James Toback’s crime thriller Fingers, but it is not a remake. It has a unique identity of its own and it really produces an entirely different character study.

The film is wonderfully done. The transition period where Thomas begins seeing the Chinese student and then slowly rebuilds his performing confidence is very convincing -- there are short failures and triumphs a musician experiences that can be every bit as intense as the ones shown here. The maddening struggle to balance two completely different lifestyles that emerges later on is also authentic. I know because I’ve witnessed it with the cello player I knew.

I also really like the ending. I don’t want to spoil it but I will say that it can be interpreted in two different ways. The first works well but it is rather naive. The second is very cynical but I think that it perfectly sums up someone like Thomas who has been determined to reconnect with his true passion.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jacques Audiard's The Beat That My Heart Skipped arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye.

The film looks quite good in high-definition. Because the camera is constantly moving and light is captured in a variety of different ways, clarity and depth tend to fluctuate. However, these fluctuations are fairly minor and actually work quite well for the intended atmosphere. There are no traces of recent problematic digital adjustments. The gran could be better defined, but there are no distracting anomalies. Colors are stable and natural, but ideally there ought to be slightly more convincing nuances. Brightness and sharpness levels are stable. The brightness levels can be better balanced as well, though for optimal results almost certainly a new master must be prepared. Image stability is excellent. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Beat That My Heart Skipped Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the 5.1 track. It has a terrific dynamic range and balance is outstanding, but you should not expected to hear any hugely impressive activity. The film's original sound design is smart, not overly ambitious. The dialog is always stables, clean, and very easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in our review.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Italian trailer for The Beat That My Heart Skipped. In French, with printed English subtitles. (2 min).

• Deleted Scenes - a gallery of deleted scenes. In French, with printed English subtitles. (26 min).

• Interviews -
  
  1. Jacques Audiard - the director explains how the idea for The Beat That My Heart Skipped emerged, some of the key similarities and differences between his film and James Toback's film Fingers, why he chose to cast Romain Duris as Thomas Seyr, his work with the actors, the feminine roles in the film, etc. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (19 min).
  
  2. UK Exclusive Interview with Jacques Audiard - in this interview, Jacques Audiard discusses his background and career, the production history of The Beat That My Heart Skipped, the period appeal each film has and how it resonates differently when seen at different times (with specific observations about Fingers), scenarist Tonino Benacquista's contribution, etc. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (33 min).
  
  3. Tonino Benacquista - in this interview, discusses his working relationship with Jacques Audiard, his approach to screenwriting, the noir elements in Read My Lips and The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Thomas Seyr's relationship with the women in the film, etc. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (9 min).
  
  4. Alexandre Desplat - in this video interview, composer Alexandre Desplat recalls how he and director Jacques Audiard met James Toback in New York City and discusses some of the unique qualities of the soundtrack he created for The Beat That My Heart Skipped. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (6 min).

• Rehearsal Footage - presented here is raw footage from the initial rehearsal sessions. In French, with printed English subtitles. (11 min).

• Q&A Session - in this archival filmed Q&A session with Romain Duris, Linh Dan Pham, and Tonino Benacquista answer a variety of different questions about the production history of The Beat That My Heart Skipped, some of the key relationships in it, Jacques Audiard's direction, etc. The session was filmed at the Cine Lumiere in London on October 6, 2005. In French and English, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (52 min).

• Romain Duris Singing - short test. (1 min).

The Beat That My Heart Skipped Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Roman Duris is simply magnificent in this outstanding film from Jacques Audiard which was inspired by James Toback's crime thriller Fingers. It follows a tough guy who rediscovers his passion for classical music but is unable to separate himself from the dangerous people around him. Curzon Artificial Eye's technical presentation of The Beat That My Heart Skipped is very good and there is a really nice selection of supplemental features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (If you enjoy the film, also see Jacques Audiard's Read My Lips, another very good neo-noir thriller based on a script by Tonino Benacquista).