Overview
A passionate love story unfolds amidst the chaos of crime and rebellion.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- passionate
- nostalgic
- melodramatic
- romantic movie night
- french cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film overblown and uneven, praising its teenage performances while faulting the adult romance and superficial characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jackie and Clotaire’s relationship is followed from teenage attraction through years of separation and their adult attempt to reconnect.
The film is presented as an epic romance with heightened emotion, musical elements, and an over-the-top dramatic register.
Clotaire and Jackie come from opposite sides of the tracks, making social difference a defining obstacle to their relationship.
Clotaire’s infatuation and petty criminality lead him toward gang violence, incarceration, and a darker adult path.
Films like Beating Hearts, and why
West Side Story
shared star-crossed romance, criminal underworld, heightened melodrama, and lovers separated by circumstance
Atonement
shared youthful romance, class division, crime, and a sweeping emotionally heightened style
The Notebook
shared passionate lovers, social pressures, crime melodrama, and years-long romantic separation
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
shared French romantic drama, intense young love, class tension, and nostalgic period atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Gilles Lellouche
- Release Date
- 2024-10-16
- Runtime
- 160 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (1066)
Cast
- Adèle Exarchopoulos
- François Civil
- Mallory Wanecque
- Malik Frikah
- Alain Chabat
- Benoît Poelvoorde
- Vincent Lacoste
- Jean-Pascal Zadi
- Élodie Bouchez
- Karim Leklou
Common questions
- What is Beating Hearts about?
- A rebellious teenager’s consuming love for his schoolmate survives gang violence, incarceration, and years of separation in a sweeping French romantic crime drama.
- What is Beating Hearts like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Beating Hearts as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Beating Hearts violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Beating Hearts as moderate.
- What did critics think of Beating Hearts?
- Critics broadly found the film overblown and uneven, praising its teenage performances while faulting the adult romance and superficial characterization.
- Which films are like Beating Hearts?
- Films with a similar feel include West Side Story, Atonement, The Notebook, and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
- How long is Beating Hearts?
- Beating Hearts runs 160 minutes.
