As each scrambles for Nico’s attention, their frustration at his evasive affections soon becomes directed at each other in the form of petty insults and imagined betrayals. So besotted are they with this young Adonis, they lose interest in the cast of nameless lovers who frequent their beds and, indeed, with the outside world. The film is strangely devoid of any sociality beyond this love triangle – perhaps indicative of the all-consuming nature of their unsated desires.
No matter the medium, they say an artist’s sophomore work is always the most difficult. But for French-Canadian filmmaking prodigy Xavier Dolan, who released his first film, I Killed My Mother, at the tender age of 19, there is even more to prove. Dolan’s 2009 debut (which he wrote, directed and starred in) received an eight-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere, going on to collect a swathe of awards internationally. But where does one so young go from here?
In Heartbeats, Dolan shifts gears from adolescent angst to 20-something ennui. Francis (Dolan) is the shy but dashing sidekick to Marie (Monia Chokri), a slightly hysterical beauty of the Audrey Hepburn mould. While their sartorial styles may differ (Francis preens in primary-coloured designer wear; Marie prefers 50s frocks and pearls), the friends share similar neuroses, nicotine addictions, and, most importantly, the same love interest – the flirtatious yet fickle Nicolas (Niels Schneider).
As each scrambles for Nico’s attention, their frustration at his evasive affections soon becomes directed at each other in the form of petty insults and imagined betrayals. So besotted are they with this young Adonis, they lose interest in the cast of nameless lovers who frequent their beds and, indeed, with the outside world. The film is strangely devoid of any sociality beyond this love triangle – perhaps indicative of the all-consuming nature of their unsated desires.
Similarly, the mise en scène aesthetically reflects these characters’ infatuation. Showing his age, Dolan wears his influences on his sleeve: Heartbeats combines the slow motion reveries of Wong Kar Wai, the highly saturated colour palette of Almodóvar and the playfulness of Godard, bound together by Woody Allen’s overarching neuroticism. Heartbeats’ stylisation is so excessive, however, that it soon becomes irritating – it feels as though almost half the film is shot in slow motion, accompanied by an overbearing orchestral soundtrack and unnecessary colour filters.
Where I Killed My Mother revealed much about the teenage psyche, Dolan’s take on 20-somethings is not so compelling. Heartbeats ultimately feels emotionally shallow, needlessly stylised, and, as is becoming emblematic of Dolan’s work, extremely narcissistic.
Heartbeats will be screening at ACMI from April 7-28. For session information, visit acmi.net.au.
