Taking part in a poll on ICM on the best films of 2005,I started looking for French flicks from the year. Avoiding the movie due to the twee title,I was surprised to discover that the film was not a Romance,but a remake of 1978's Fingers (which I've not yet seen) that led to me catching up to the beat.The plot:Joining his dad Robert in business by beating up people who turn down deals,Thomas Seyr gets involved with pals Fabrice and Sami in setting up dodgy real estate deals. Becoming fully involved in a daily life of crime after his classical pianist mum died 8 years ago,Thomas is woken up when he crosses paths with his mums former manager,who asked Thomas if he has ever considered playing classical music,which makes Thomas play a new tune to his life.View on the film:Working as a director for hire, (producer Pascal Caucheteux wanted to do another remake after producing the US remake of Assault on Precinct 13) co-writer/(with Tonino Benacquista) director Jacques Audiard & cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine fluidly play Neo-Noir notes spun from up close,documentary-style "shaky" camera moves pushing the viewers nose into Thomas's grey and grime crime world. Backed by a warm score from Alexandre Desplat,Audiard finely tunes the darkness with shots of lights,as side shots of Thomas playing captures the notes in life Thomas is trying to hit,as his artistic dreams are plucked by the family life of crime.Changing the plot after co-writer Benacquista said he hated Fingers, (what a perfect choice to write the remake!)the writers wonderfully string Thomas as a loner in a constant search to find a place to fit in,with a Neo-Noir self-contempt making Thomas believe that he must follow his dad's footsteps. Focusing on the relationship between Thomas and music,the writers wonderfully contrast between the music hall lights that Thomas escapes to,with the vicious,daily grind of his Noir life of crime. Joined by a great support cast that includes Anton Yakovlev as Minskov and Mélanie Laurent as Minskov's Girlfriend, Romain Duris (who got taught by his sister to play the piano for the film) gives an excellent performance as Thomas,which flows with the dream optimism of a new life,which Duris grinds down with a nose to the grindstone suspicion from Thomas that a finally piece has been written for his life.

French screenwriter and director Jacques Audiard's fourth feature film which he co-wrote with French author and screenwriter Tonino Benacquista, is a remake of American filmmaker James Toback's narrative feature "Fingers" from 1978. It premiered In competition at the 55th Berlin International Film Festival in 2005, was shot on location in Paris, France and is a French production which was produced by producer Pascal Chaucheteux. It tells the story about a 28-year-old man named Thomas Seyr who works as a kind of real estate broker in Paris, France for his gangster father named Robert whom is getting remarried to a model named Christine. Whilst spending most of his time with his friend Fabrice who is depending on him as an alibi to cover up for is numerous affairs and becoming infatuated with his friend's wife, Thomas decides to revive a talent he stopped practicing ten years ago. Following his mother's footsteps and distancing himself from his father's lifestyle, Thomas starts taking piano lessons with a pianist named Miao Lin.Distinctly and precisely directed by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, this finely tuned fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the protagonist's point of view, draws an intimate and profound portrayal of a relationship between a French man and a Vietnamese woman who's communication is somewhat limited by their differing languages. While notable for it's naturalistic and atmospheric milieu depictions, sterling cinematography by French cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine and use of music, this character-driven and narrative-driven psychological drama depicts a consistently involving and multifaceted study of character where the main character's inner struggle and mastering of his emotions interrelates with the narrative's continuity and contains a great score by French film composer Alexandre Desplat.This romantic, humorous and dramatic story about a young man who is driven by his passion for women and a constant duality within him, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, abrupt editing, incisive depiction of interpersonal relations, the versatile acting performance by French actor Romain Duris, the efficiently understated acting performance by Vietnamese-born French actress Lin Dan Pham and the fine acting performance by French actor Niels Arestrup. A poetic, heartfelt and memorable thriller-drama which gained, among other awards, the award for Best Film Not in the English Language at the 59th BAFTA AWARDS in 2005.

Not all remakes are made in Hollywood; the industry works the other way round too. I haven't seen James Toback's 1978 film Fingers, but its French remake by Jacques Audiard surely works admirably. Tom (Romain Duris) is a shady young real estate broker who doesn't shy away from using violence to make sure his clients don't forget to pay their rents and other expenses. One day he meets the agent of his deceased concert pianist mother and is invited to an audition, as he has some musical talent himself. To prepare for the audition he takes lessons from a Chinese female pianist Miao Lin (Linh Dan Pham) and despite the language barrier, a wordless understanding develops between them. Combining the tough criminal career and the patience required for practicing music is difficult for Tom though, especially due to his unreliable father Robert (Niels Arestrup) who Tom often has to save from serious trouble involving dangerous criminals.Tom's restless wavering between the two careers is fascinating to follow, thanks to Duris' fidgeting performance full of danger and thinly buried anger. Even though he maintains a tough appearance, it is obvious that the audition means a lot to him, evoking memories from his mother even though we never get to see her on the screen. Niels Arestrup also captures the miserable aura surrounding the father and could have easily stolen the show from a less intense lead actor. Besides the acting, the overall directorial style is in tune with the story and masters both hectic urban scenes and the calmer moments at the piano in Miao Lin's apartment. The shocking but touching ending doesn't provide a simple conclusion to Tom's confusion, but suggests that he has learned that he cannot flee making the decision forever. All in all, the dramatically titled film succeeds in delivering a riveting experience and belongs among the better French film of recent years.

It isn't often that a film contains a character so effectively created that they alone are enough for a film to work, but Romain Duris in 'The Beat That My Heart Skipped' gives an excellent account of the character Thomas. Reminiscent of De Niro in Taxi Driver, Duris proves himself to be a more than adequate actor with much to offer cinema in the coming years. His brooding aggression and visible battle between morals are enjoyable to experience. Not only has Duris managed to fully immerse himself with the character, he has also created a character that we want to see succeed.The film itself is clever. With an engaging plot and simple but defined characters, the audience are easily transported into this world of petty crime and testosterone. Duris steals the show though and I look forward to watching him for many more years.