Based on a 1997 novel by Irish writer Neville Thompson, "Jackie Loves Johnser OK?", Beating Hearts is a very traditional tale of two potential lovers heading on two very different paths through life. It's so traditional that I was surprised to see so many names credited in the writing department, including director Gilles Lellouche, but maybe that was due to people helping refine the material and ensure it would all translate well enough to France, where it's set.
Things revolve around the pairing of Jackie (young version played by Mallory Wanecque, older version played by Adéle Exarchopoulos) and Clotaire (young version played by Malik Frikah, older version played by François Civil). Jackie is headstrong and smart, but generally also keeping out of trouble as she figures out what she wants to do with her life. Clotaire spends his time involved in petty crime with his friends, and things escalate to more serious robberies, resulting in a death that he is arrested and imprisoned for (despite not being the one responsible). The passing of time doesn't dull the strength of feeling that Jackie and Clotaire have for one another, but it seems that circumstances are conspiring to keep them apart.
There are French crime thrillers that are better than this, and grittier. There are many love stories out there without the violence that this has. You have plenty to choose from. But Beating Hearts is highly watchable thanks to the style (it all looks great, and there's a vibrant soundtrack that even makes use of some John Carpenter tracks from the Escape From New York score), the structure, and the performances of the leads, both young and old. Lellouche does well with the material, but they give themselves a major boost by casting so well.
I've said recently that Exarchopoulos is one of those people I will watch in anything. That hasn't changed. She's as riveting here as she usually is, and there's a nice consistency as her performance follows on from the great turn from Wanecque. On the other hand, Civil, while he does well, has to be more sombre and worn down than the past version of himself, so charmingly portrayed by Frikah. Every one of the four leads manages to sketch an entire idea of their life lived up to that point, and the bond between Jackie and Clotaire becomes the one defining constant. Vincent Lacoste is fine as Jeffrey, a man who also ends up lovestruck by Jackie, and who benefits from being present when Clotaire cannot, and Alain Chabat is solid as Jackie's considerate and loving father.
Despite some predictability, Beating Hearts somehow manages to be both expected and unexpected. It has the occasional bursts of violence, it has the character who is only truly seen by a loved one, and there are certain debts to be paid. It also has a surprising sweetness through a number of scenes, and a genuine sense of how romance and love language can be very different for some, but no less genuine or serious. The hefty 166-minute runtime doesn't drag, and it actually feels right to give these characters the time and space to get to where we want them to go. I highly recommend this one, even if you think it's something we've already seen a hundred times over in the past few decades.
8/10
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