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Heartbeats (2010 film)

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Heartbeats
Theatrical release poster
FrenchLes amours imaginaires
Directed byXavier Dolan
Written byXavier Dolan
Produced by
  • Xavier Dolan
  • Carole Mondello
  • Daniel Morin
Starring
CinematographyStéphanie Weber Biron
Edited byXavier Dolan
Production
company
Distributed byRemstar Distribution
Release dates
  • May 16, 2010 (2010-05-16) (Cannes)
  • June 11, 2010 (2010-06-11) (Canada)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryCanada
Languages
  • French
  • English
BudgetCAD$600,000 (approx. USD$594,695)
Box office$843,423[2]

Heartbeats (French: Les amours imaginaires, lit. 'Imaginary Lovers') is a 2010 Canadian romantic drama film written, directed and edited by Xavier Dolan. It follows the story of two friends who both fall in love with the same man. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

Plot

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Francis and Marie first meet Nicolas at a dinner party, where they both feign lack of interest in him. Over the next couple of weeks, the three form a close friendship, meeting up regularly and even sleeping together in the same bed. However, it is clear that both Marie and Francis have an interest in Nicolas beyond friendship. Francis is unhappy when Nicolas invites Marie to the theater. Marie is visibly disappointed when she arrives at a Vietnamese restaurant with Nicolas after the play, finds Francis dining with several friends, and watches Nicolas take a seat at the end of the table furthest from her. Both interpret Nicolas' actions as signs of intimacy and affection: Nicolas eats a cherry from Francis' hand; Nicolas tells Marie he loves her and also loves Francis. Their feelings lead to competition for Nicolas' affections, evidenced by their rivalry over the gifts they buy for his birthday.

The relationship culminates in a trip to the vacation home of Nicolas' aunt. Marie becomes jealous when Nicolas feeds Francis a marshmallow, telling him to eat it slowly like a 'striptease', and she goes to bed early. The next morning, she wakes up alone and observes the two frolicking together in the distance. She decides to leave, but Francis chases after her and the two end up wrestling on the ground. Nicolas is not impressed and decides to leave, saying they can love him or leave him. On returning from the trip, neither sees Nicolas. Each leaves him a voicemail message and Marie writes him a love letter. Eventually, Francis meets Nicolas and pours out his feelings, telling him he loves him and wants to kiss him. Nicolas responds: "How could you think I was gay?", leaving Francis devastated. Later, Marie catches up with Nicolas in the street and first tells him the letter she sent was meant for a female friend accidentally switched with an academic essay she intended for him. Nicolas asks Marie if this female friend is her lover or her ex, which Marie confusedly denies. As Nicolas goes to leave, claiming to have left something on the stove, she asks how he would feel if she had intended the poem for him. He says he would still have something on the stove.

After a year, Francis and Marie have rekindled their friendship. At a party they scathingly repulse an attempt by Nicolas to greet them. In the final scene, they both catch the eye of another party guest and together head for him, mirroring the time they first met Nicholas.

Cast

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Reception

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On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 73% based on 73 reviews, with an average rating of 6.89/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "An art film to the max, Heartbeats intriguing and appealing premise is sometimes buried by director Xavier Dolan's filmmaking flourishes."[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5] A New York Times critic wrote that compared to Dolan's first film Heartbeats "takes style even more seriously, both in its allusive execution–he draws giddily from things like the Nouvelle Vague and Wong Kar-wai–and its subject: self-fashioning and teasing, unfulfilled desire."[6]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2010 Sydney Film Festival Sydney Film Prize Xavier Dolan Won[7]
Cannes Film Festival Regards Jeunes Prize Won
Un Certain Regard Nominated
2011 César Awards Best Foreign Film Nominated
Genie Awards Best Director Nominated
Best Motion Picture Xavier Dolan, Carole Mondello and Daniel Morin Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Anne-Élisabeth Bossé Nominated
Best Cinematography Stéphanie Weber Biron Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Les Amours imaginaires – Heartbeats (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  2. ^ "Heartbeats (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Heartbeats". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
  4. ^ "Heartbeats (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. February 25, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "Heartbeats Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Saltz, Rachel (March 12, 2013). "A Mother-Son Dance With Many Awkward Steps". New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  7. ^ "Heartbeats wins Sydney film prize". sff.org.au. Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
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