Overview
A tale of friendship and rivalry ignites when a stunning newcomer enters the scene, testing the bonds of love.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- sensual
- wistful
- arthouse film night
- romantic movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film intriguing and appealing, praising its romantic premise and visual ambition while noting that its stylistic flourishes sometimes overwhelm the story.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Francis, Marie, and Nicolas express attraction through performance, teasing, and carefully shaped personal images.
The film's emotional tensions are repeatedly rendered through conspicuous filmmaking flourishes rather than plain realism.
The plot is interspersed with interview tales of romantic pitfalls, broadening the film's meditation on desire.
Francis and Marie's friendship turns into romantic competition after Nicolas enters their lives.
Films like Heartbeats, and why
In the Mood for Love
stylized romantic longing, emotional indecision, and allusive visual flourishes within a love triangle
The Dreamers
youthful romantic rivalry, heightened color, and self-conscious new wave-inspired filmmaking
Weekend
intimate queer desire, friendship under strain, and wistful unfulfilled romance
La Belle Personne
ambivalent attraction, romantic self-fashioning, and psychologically intricate interpersonal tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Xavier Dolan
- Release Date
- 2010-06-11
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (1073)
Cast
- Monia Chokri
- Niels Schneider
- Xavier Dolan
- Anne Dorval
- Anne-Élisabeth Bossé
- Olivier Morin
- Magalie Lépine-Blondeau
- Éric Bruneau
- Gabriel Lessard
- Bénédicte Décary
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Heartbeats about?
- Two friends become rivals when an enigmatic ideal of beauty turns their shared attraction into a stylish contest of longing.
- What is Heartbeats like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Heartbeats as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Heartbeats violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Heartbeats.
- What did critics think of Heartbeats?
- Critics generally found the film intriguing and appealing, praising its romantic premise and visual ambition while noting that its stylistic flourishes sometimes overwhelm the story.
- Which films are like Heartbeats?
- Films with a similar feel include In the Mood for Love, The Dreamers, Weekend, and La Belle Personne.
- How long is Heartbeats?
- Heartbeats runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Heartbeats?
- In United States, Heartbeats is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
