Heartbeat | |
---|---|
Directed by | Andrea Dorfman |
Written by | Andrea Dorfman |
Starring | Tanya Davis |
Cinematography | Stéphanie Weber Biron |
Edited by | Thorben Bieger |
Music by | Tanya Davis, Charles Austin |
Distributed by | Mongrel Media |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Heartbeat is a 2014 Canadian drama film written and directed by Andrea Dorfman. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. [1] The film stars poet and musician Tanya Davis as Justine, an unfulfilled advertising copywriter who dreams of becoming a musician but struggles with stage fright. [2]
After Justine faints at an open mic performance out of stage fright she gives up music for a while.
When her friend, Lorna, gives birth she decides that she too wants a baby, but when she suggests it to Ben, the ex she is still sleeping with, he ends things for good, later informing her that he will be leaving town. Inspired by the breakup Justine begins playing her guitar again. She spots a girl playing drums in the window of her local music shop but while the two acknowledge each other they do not talk.
Justine meets the girl again when a frisbee lands on her windshield belonging to the girl, Ruby. Ruby invites Justine to one of her performances and afterwards Justine tries to play one of her songs for Ruby but is overcome with fear. Ruby, however, refuses to let her give up and Justine finally is able to play the song for her. The two begin meeting regularly to play in the music shop window performing in front of passersby.
Justine develops a crush on Ruby and the two end up sleeping together. Afterwards Ruby tells Justine that she has a girlfriend. Heartbroken, Justine returns home where she rearranges the postcards she has been getting from Ben into a portrait which form a cabin she recognizes. Justine goes to Ben but when she tries to get back together with him he tells her he doesn't want to be with her.
After returning home Justine and Ruby talk and Ruby apologizes for not telling Justine about her girlfriend. Justine forgives her and tells her that she wants to play music with her. She quits her job and goes to work at the local music store.
In order to raise funds for her roof Justine and Ruby organize a concert at her house. Before they play Justine calls Ben and dedicates her first song to him.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 6.88/10. [3] Bruce Demara writing for the Toronto Star called Heartbeat "an accomplished work by a talented filmmaker, a tale that offers equal measures of gentle humour and wisdom". [4]
Risky Business is a 1983 American teen sex comedy film written and directed by Paul Brickman and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. It follows the sexual exploits of a high school senior during his parents' vacation trip. The film is considered to be Cruise's breakout role.
Kids is a 1995 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Larry Clark in his directorial debut and written by Harmony Korine in his screenwriting debut. It stars Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, and Rosario Dawson, all in their film debuts. Set in 1995, Fitzpatrick, Pierce, Sevigny, Dawson, and other newcomers portray a group of teenagers in New York City. They are characterized as hedonists, who engage in sexual acts and substance abuse, over the course of a single day.
Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 American psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin and Kevin Anderson. The film is based on Nancy Price's 1987 novel of the same name. Roberts plays a woman who fakes her own death and moves to escape from her controlling, obsessive & abusive husband, but finds her peaceful new life interrupted when he discovers her actions and tracks her down from Cape Cod to Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Good Girl is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Miguel Arteta from a script by Mike White. The film stars Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly.
The Five Heartbeats is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenen Ivory Wayans. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robinson, Harry J. Lennix, Tico Wells, Harold Nicholas, and Diahann Carroll. The plot of the film follows the three decade career of the rhythm and blues vocal group The Five Heartbeats. The film depicts the rise and fall of a Motown inspired soul act through the eyes of one of the Heartbeats, Donald "Duck" Matthews.
Me Without You is a 2001 British film starring Anna Friel, Michelle Williams, and Oliver Milburn, and written and directed by Sandra Goldbacher.
Abi Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lorna Fitzgerald. She was introduced by executive producer Kate Harwood on 3 July 2006 as an extension to the Branning family, along with father Max, mother Tanya Branning and older sister Lauren Branning. Her storylines involve her friendships and relationships with Ben Mitchell and Jay Brown, her toxic friendship with Babe Smith, faking a pregnancy so that Ben would not leave her for Paul Coker, being a suspect in the murder of Lucy Beale, her affair with Lauren's fiancé, Steven Beale, and falling pregnant by him.
Satisfaction is a 1988 American comedy-drama film directed by Joan Freeman and starring Justine Bateman and Liam Neeson. Primarily known today as Julia Roberts' first credited big-screen role, Satisfaction is also one of the few theatrical productions by either Aaron Spelling or the NBC network.
Tormented is a 2009 British black comedy slasher film directed by Jon Wright, written by Stephen Prentice, and starring Alex Pettyfer, April Pearson, Dimitri Leonidas, Calvin Dean and Tuppence Middleton. The plot centres on a group of students being stalked and murdered by the ghost of a bullied teenager. The film was released on 22 May 2009 in the United Kingdom by Pathé and was produced by BBC Films, Pathé, Slingshot Studios, Forward Films, and Screen West Midlands. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with many praising the humour and cast, but criticising the formulaic plot. The film earned £284,757 on a £700,000 budget.
Solitary Man is a 2009 American film co-directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. The film stars Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Mary-Louise Parker, and Danny DeVito. The film received generally positive reviews, though it grossed just $5.68 million against its $15 million budget.
Ruby Sparks is a 2012 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film written by Zoe Kazan and directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton. It stars Paul Dano as an anxious novelist whose fictional character, Ruby Sparks, played by Kazan, comes to life, and his struggles to reconcile his idealized vision of her with her increasing independence. The reviews of the movie were favorable.
Before I Go to Sleep is a 2014 mystery psychological thriller film written and directed by Rowan Joffé and based on the 2011 novel of the same name by S. J. Watson. An international co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Sweden, the film stars Nicole Kidman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, and Anne-Marie Duff.
Concussion is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Stacie Passon and starring Robin Weigert. Although not autobiographical, the story was partially inspired by Passon herself suffering a mild concussion, in the same manner depicted in the film, shortly before she began writing the screenplay.
Top Five is a 2014 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Rock. Produced by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush, the film stars Rock, Rosario Dawson, and Gabrielle Union, and follows New York City comedian and film star Andre Allen (Rock), who has to confront his past and comedic career while doing an interview with journalist Chelsea Brown (Dawson).
Beyond the Lights is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed and written by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Machine Gun Kelly, and Danny Glover. The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2014, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 14, 2014. In 2015, the song "Grateful" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Stage Fright is a 2014 Canadian musical comedy slasher film directed by Jerome Sable and is his feature-film directorial debut. The film had its world release on March 10, 2014 at South by Southwest, a VOD release on April 3, 2014, and a theatrical release on May 9. It stars Allie MacDonald as a hopeful young singer terrorized by a killer at a musical theater camp.
Louder Than Bombs is a 2015 drama film directed by Joachim Trier and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Devin Druid, Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert, David Strathairn, and Amy Ryan. The film was internationally co-produced and was co-written by Trier and Eskil Vogt.
Dark Places is a 2015 American mystery film written and directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner, based on Gillian Flynn's 2009 novel of the same name and stars Charlize Theron, Christina Hendricks, Nicholas Hoult, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
High Strung is a 2016 American drama film directed by Michael Damian and written by Janeen Damian and Michael Damian. The film stars Keenan Kampa, Nicholas Galitzine, Jane Seymour, Sonoya Mizuno, Richard Southgate, and Paul Freeman. The film was released on April 8, 2016, by Paladin. A sequel High Strung: Free Dance was released in 2019.
Luckiest Girl Alive is a 2022 mystery thriller film directed by Mike Barker from a screenplay by Jessica Knoll, based on her 2015 novel of the same name. The film stars Mila Kunis, Finn Wittrock, Scoot McNairy, Chiara Aurelia, Justine Lupe, Thomas Barbusca, Jennifer Beals, and Connie Britton.