Tuesday, July 19, 2005
PIANO MAN
Saw Jacques Audiard's The Beat My Heart Skipped at, you guessed it, Landmark's Century Centre last night.
Plot: Thomas (Romian Duris) is a Parisian in his late twenties earning a living harassing immigrants out of their apartments. He and his friends buy up the buildings at rock bottom prices to sell them at a profit. Thomas also has a difficult relationship with his bearish father(Niels Arestrup), who is in the same line of work. But there's more to Thomas. His late mother was a concert pianist and he was something of a prodigy himself, but he stopped playing not long after his mother's death.
One night, as Thomas is cruising around Paris, he spots his mother's former concert manager. He approaches the man, who remembers Thomas, and is asked to audition some time. From this point on, Thomas is consumed by the piano, hiring an Asian woman who speaks no French to give him lessons. The more Thomas devotes himself to the piano, the further he drifts from his old life, making his business partners very unhappy. Thomas must choose between the two.
The makers of The Beat My Heart Skipped shot on location in and around Paris, giving the film a realistic and, at times, gritty feel. It has a cool, sleek look, lots of grays and blues, and many scenes shot at night. They use handheld cameras too, but not to suggest an annoying, trite "immediacy," but to stress the tension,violence, and energy of Thomas's life.
The camera is often close in on the faces of their actors, giving the film an intimate feel. It also helps that all the performances were great, with Romian Duris standing out, in particular. Looking like a lost member of the Strokes, he's in almost every scene of the film; the camera often focused on his face in close-up. He shoulders the burden admirably, giving a superb performance, mostly through body language. He turns his chin downward to his chest, his shoulders slumped, suggesting the Thomas's need to withdraw into himself. This inwardness also makes it more shocking when Thomas bursts into sudden violence. Niels Arestrup is also good as Thomas's father. The character is a step away from a petty criminal and bully, but the actor shows us the character's charm and the power it has over his seemingly indifferent son.
While The Beat My Heart Skipped was very good, it could have been shorter by ten to fifteen minutes without losing anything. There are a few too many scenes of Thomas practicing the piano with his Asian tutor, arguing with his shady friends, and an affair with a married woman, that while fun, doesn't go anywhere. The film's finale, while tying everything together seemed rushed, not quite thought out. Still, this was an exciting, suspenseful, and moving character study. ¶ 9:15 AM
Plot: Thomas (Romian Duris) is a Parisian in his late twenties earning a living harassing immigrants out of their apartments. He and his friends buy up the buildings at rock bottom prices to sell them at a profit. Thomas also has a difficult relationship with his bearish father(Niels Arestrup), who is in the same line of work. But there's more to Thomas. His late mother was a concert pianist and he was something of a prodigy himself, but he stopped playing not long after his mother's death.
One night, as Thomas is cruising around Paris, he spots his mother's former concert manager. He approaches the man, who remembers Thomas, and is asked to audition some time. From this point on, Thomas is consumed by the piano, hiring an Asian woman who speaks no French to give him lessons. The more Thomas devotes himself to the piano, the further he drifts from his old life, making his business partners very unhappy. Thomas must choose between the two.
The makers of The Beat My Heart Skipped shot on location in and around Paris, giving the film a realistic and, at times, gritty feel. It has a cool, sleek look, lots of grays and blues, and many scenes shot at night. They use handheld cameras too, but not to suggest an annoying, trite "immediacy," but to stress the tension,violence, and energy of Thomas's life.
The camera is often close in on the faces of their actors, giving the film an intimate feel. It also helps that all the performances were great, with Romian Duris standing out, in particular. Looking like a lost member of the Strokes, he's in almost every scene of the film; the camera often focused on his face in close-up. He shoulders the burden admirably, giving a superb performance, mostly through body language. He turns his chin downward to his chest, his shoulders slumped, suggesting the Thomas's need to withdraw into himself. This inwardness also makes it more shocking when Thomas bursts into sudden violence. Niels Arestrup is also good as Thomas's father. The character is a step away from a petty criminal and bully, but the actor shows us the character's charm and the power it has over his seemingly indifferent son.
While The Beat My Heart Skipped was very good, it could have been shorter by ten to fifteen minutes without losing anything. There are a few too many scenes of Thomas practicing the piano with his Asian tutor, arguing with his shady friends, and an affair with a married woman, that while fun, doesn't go anywhere. The film's finale, while tying everything together seemed rushed, not quite thought out. Still, this was an exciting, suspenseful, and moving character study. ¶ 9:15 AM
