The plot of 'The Beat That My Heart Skipped' revolves around Tom, a criminal property dealer. He and his partners have a simple scam; they go into low income areas, wreck a building, scare out the squatters and paying tenants and then legally buy the property at a knock down price in order to sell it on for a quick profit. After an evening in Paris Tom decides to try get out of his life of crime and resurrect his ambition to follow the career of his late mother and become a concert pianist, and his step by step career makeover both surprises and causes conflict with both current his current criminal and future musical colleagues. Overall, this is a great film; the script cleverly shows the central character as having a dark and ugly side, yet possessing the ability to express his sensitivity as a classical pianist through music. The combination of the two opposing sides gives the film real power and impact. If you enjoy of character driven films with a bittersweet edge then 'The Beat That My Heart Skipped' it's a must see.
This is a spellbinding piece of Parisian cool from director Audiard. It tells the story of Thomas, brilliantly played by Romain Duris who spends his time providing muscle for his slumlord Dad, conniving with other lowlives to evict unprofitable tenants. A chance encounter with a colleague of his dead mother, a concert pianist, re-awakens Tom’s love of music and his desire to achieve recognition as a pianist himself. From this point on Tom valiantly tries to balance loyalty to his Dad and a sense of obligation to Mum, just as a chaste relationship with a colleague’s wife comes to boiling point. Brilliantly done, and you don’t have to know anything about classical music to find it really enjoyable and affecting.
A not totally believable premise, gloomy and disjointed. Although not for the faint hearted, Romain Duris portrays trauma exceedingly well. Spot the Massive clothing continuity error at the end!