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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Heartbeats (Film)

by Colin Fraser | March 28, 2011 12:43 | Edited March 28, 2011 12:44

While light on plot, this beautifully crafted film captures the emotional plight of its three young protagonists with insight and immediacy.

Canada's hottest director also writes and stars in this stylish, modern romance less than a year after his breakthrough feature, I Killed My Mother. Xavier Dolan exchanges kitchen-sink angst for lurid emotional drama when best friends fall hard for the same guy. She's beautiful, elegant Marie (Monia Chokri); he's strikingly fashionable Francis (Xavier Dolan); and the object of their fascination is Nicolas (Niels Schneider), a floppy haired blonde stunner. A firm friendship is quickly struck, and three soon move as one, even sharing a bed on occasion. Sleeping only, but tensions escalate when Marie ponders the relevance of a stray arm, and Francis the brush of a sleepy foot. Battle lines are drawn soon after Nicolas' birthday, as the giving of extravagant gifts sharpens their desire: who will win his affection?

 

Heartbeats would be considered exceptional if only for the filmmaking sophistication of its youthful creator. Pleasingly, 22-year-old Dolan offers much more. Sensuously stylish and mature beyond its scope, the film reveals tremendous insight into that most fundamental human concern: how do I make him notice me? Nestled in the bosom of Québeçois' urban chic, they discuss and ponder, drink and party, and take trips to the countryside. In short, they do as young people do, and thus the film is accordingly light on plot, and heavy on emotion.

 

Refreshingly devoid of sexual politics (Nicolas' disappointment in Francis' assumptions rest in a failing to be understood rather than any latent homophobia), Dolan embraces the modern metrosexual in pursuing how it feels to be young, single and needy in Canada. And capture it he does. An embarrassment of talent is put to good work as refined production (think Wong Kar Wai) is married to pointedly arch performances that generate a tremendous sense of immediacy, marking Heartbeats as a minor yet significant film of its time.