The Beat That My Heart Skipped

FLICK How can you miss with a title like that? Romain Duris (L’Auberge Espangole, Russian Dolls) grounds this stunning film with a superb and extraordinary performance. Duris plays Tom, a real estate thug trying to reconcile his life with his father, a man who also makes his money from dirty real estate deals, and the life he missed out on with his deceased mother, a concert pianist. As he looks to find the missing note in his life, Tom hires a Vietnamese piano tutor so he can audition for the agent who once handled his mother. We see that he has a difficult time communicating with his tutor, verbally as well as musically. As he consumes himself with piano playing, his growing sensitivity gets in the way of his business. It's the attention to detail, like learning a piece by Bach that is more mechanical than emotional, that lends depth to the story. This is more than a remake of the James Toback film Fingers. It expands on the themes of parental loss and acceptance, loyalty to friends and lovers, attempting to change for the better in spite of what may be predestined, and searching for the beat that skipped out of your heart a long time ago. (France, 2005) My Score: 9.5 out of 10.