The pull of the parents

| Tuesday July 10, 2007 00:00

If you were the child of the late Sonia Seyr, a famous concert pianist, and Robert Seyr (played by a hefty Niels Arestrup), a corrupt dealer in disputed property in Paris, how would you resolve the pull between what the two stood for, particularly if you loved them both.

 
This is the contradiction that Thomas Seyr (acted adroitly by Romain Duris) has lived with all his couple of dozen years. Thomas suffers from a split personality, a debilitating form of schizophrenia. When he was younger he was also a pianist with potential, but then after his mother died he gave it all up to work for his father, as a hit man. His job is to help evict people who have squatted on property so that his father can sell it at a profit.

The violence is what will make your heart skip a beat, not the music of his soul.
When, by accident, Thomas meets his mother's old manager, he is reminded of his prior life and gifts. The music still rings inside his head and he can play it with his fingers on any surface, no piano required. He becomes excited by the possibility of playing again. Conveniently he still has his mother's grand piano in his flat. He arranges for an audition at some future date and decides to practice again. This leads him to the most unusual teacher, Miao-Lin (acted by the beautiful Linh-Dan Pham) from Vietnam, who has just arrived in Paris following various awards in international music competitions.

She speaks Vietnamese, Chinese and some English, but not French, yet is desperate to earn some money, so she takes Thomas as a pupil. They establish a most bizarre relationship, one that can also make your heart skip a beat (but does Thomas know when his is jumping).

 
Thomas's revived interest in classical music causes him to neglect his other commitments. 'Do me a favour, forget me for awhile,' he says to his colleagues. He has been covering for one of his mates, Fabrice (Jonathan Zacca), while he chases other women. This leaves his wife, Aline (Aure Atika) home alone, resulting in an interesting shift when Aline discovers her husband's philandering ways.

 
Thomas is as possessed by an image of the great pianist Horowitz's fingers as he is by the piece by Bach, a Toccata in E-minor, he has chosen to play at his audition, and his other obsession, his need to serve his father. The world of music and the world of urban petty crime do not mix well, but do serve to heighten the dramatic tension of this film. Can he win back his mother by returning completely to music, or does he have other talents that will help him to overcome his driven nature, his being consumed by inner violence. Miao-Lin provides the solution to his dilemma, but in a most unexpected way.

It is said that this film is a remake of James Toback's 'Fingers' (1977) in which Harvey Keitel played the Mafia enforcer who played Bach. This is not quite so, as 'The Beat that My Heart Skipped' transcends that earlier film and is in reality less violent and more positive. What also makes this film different is the amazingly innovative filming by the cinematographer, Stphane Fontaine, and a totally new story line by the writer-director, Jacques Audiard, who did the script with Tonino Benacquista.

 
Jacques Audiard appears to have a life-long fascination with the duplicity of the criminal mind. He has explored this theme in his three previous movies: 'See How they Fall' (1993); 'A Self-made Hero' (1995); and 'Read my Lips' (2001). 
'The Beat that My Heart Skipped' is one hour and 47 minutes long. It is in French with English subtitles. It is rated over 15. The editor is Juliette Welfling and the music, by Alexandre Desplat is performed by Caroline Duris, Romain's big sister!
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