The Beat That My Heart Skipped Blu-ray Movie

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 September 24, 2025

Jacques Audiard's "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Jacques Audiard; archival program with Tonino Benaquista; archival program with composer Alexandre Desplat; archival footage from the Berlinale; vintage trailer; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "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 enjoyed playing his cello and even recorded a few tapes, but also liked to spend time with people 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 shady 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). 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 who owes him money and 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 private pupil and a successful business partner, but eventually the pressure pushes him to 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) with ties to the Russian mafia.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped borrows some key elements of the story that is told in James Toback’s crime thriller Fingers, but it is not a remake. It has a unique identity of its own, and it produces an entirely different character study.

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 logical and believable. I know because I’ve witnessed it with the cello player I knew.

I also really like the finale. 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, The Beat That My Heart Skipped arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

In 2016, we reviewed this Region-B release of The Beat That My Heart Skipped, produced by British label Artificial Eye. Criterion's release is sourced from the same master that Artificial Eye worked with to produce the Region-B release.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped looks good in high-definition. Delineation, clarity, and depth all fluctuate between pleasing and very good. However, there is plenty of material where natural light and various highlights and nuances are captured in unique ways, sometimes intentionally, sometimes simply because the camera moves a lot. Even when we covered the previous Region-B release, I thought that a future new master could make these areas appear slightly more convincing, and last night, while revisiting the film, I again felt that there is some room for small yet meaningful improvements. Color balance is excellent. However, I feel that the improvements I mentioned above could enhance some nuances, which will then strengthen the dynamic range of the visuals. However, even on a very large screen, the current master still produces good looking, convincing visuals. Image stability is excellent. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

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

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent. However, virtually everything that impresses in the audio department has something to do with the film's smart sound design, rather than with the lossless track handling certain areas of it exceptionally well. All exchanges are clear, sharp, and easy to follow. I did not encounter any anomalies to report. The English translation is excellent.

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

• Jacques Audiard - in this new program, Jacques Audiard recalls his initial viewing and impression of James Toback's crime thriller Fingers, which inspired him to shoot The Beat That My Heart Skipped. Audiard also discusses his interactions with writer Tonino Benacquista, who collaborated with him on the equally good crime thriller Read My Lips. There are some very interesting comments about the casting of Romain Duris and Niels Arestrup. In French, with English subtitles. (17 min).

• Berlin International Film Festival - presented here is footage from the Berlin International Film Festival, where The Beat That My Heart Skipped won Silver Bear Award for Best Film Music (Alexandre Desplat) in 2005. Jacques Audiard, Romain Duris, Aure Atika, and Linh-Dan Pham, amongst others, answer various questions about the conception and production of The Beat That My Heart Skipped. In French, with real-time English translation. (41 min).

• Tonino Benacquista - in this archival program, Tonino Benaquista discusses his working relationship with Jacques Audiard, his approach to screenwriting, the noir elements in The Beat That My Heart Skipped and Read My Lips, Thomas Seyr's relationship with the women in the film, etc. In French, with English subtitles. (9 min).

• Alexandre Desplat - in this archival program, 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 English subtitles. (6 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several scenes that did not make it to the final version of The Beat That My Heart Skipped. A few can be viewed with an optional archival audio commentary by Jacques Audiard. In French, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Rehearsal Footage - presented here is raw footage from the initial rehearsal sessions that were organized for The Beat That My Heart Skipped. In French, with English subtitles. (11 min).

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

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Jonathan Romney's essay "Out of Sync", as well as technical credits.

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

In a new program, Jacques Audiard describes The Beat That My Heart Skipped as a "remake, pure and simple remake, of James Toback's Fingers." I have to respectfully disagree. The Beat That My Heart Skipped is neither a simple nor a pure remake, and later in the same program, Audiard highlights several reasons why. The biggest of these reasons is that it produces an entirely different character study, which, as Audiard correctly points out again, is initiated in an environment that has nothing in common with the one where Toback unleashes Harvey Keitel. I like The Beat That My Heart Skipped quite a lot because it is a multi-layered film with a very flexible identity, much like Deadly Circuit, which Audiard penned with his famous father several decades earlier. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.