Quebecois filmmaker Xavier Dolan, who wrote, directed, and starred in Heartbeats, expounds on the intricacies of unrequited love with unabashed candor. Francis (Dolan) and Marie (Monica Chokri) are best friends who set their sights on the same person, Nicolas (Niels Schneider), after meeting him at a dinner party where he stands out as the most attractive and aloof person there--which is always a lethal combination when it comes to desire.
Just Friends
Since neither Marie or Francis can really be sure of who Nicolas is interested in, the two go on acting as though they are okay with simply being friends with him. Nicolas seems to prefer it that way, teasing both of them with his subtle affections. Accustomed to being lusted after, Nicolas takes on an air of oblivion when it comes to acknowledging the clear and distinct rift he is causing between Marie and Francis.
Nicolas' Birthday
Marie and Francis' rivalry reaches one of its peaks as Nicolas' birthday looms. Both of them are obsessed with finding the perfect gift, eager to impress and woo Nicolas into finally admitting his love for one of them. Marie ultimately settles on a hat, while Francis gets him an expensive garment.
When they arrive at the party, Nicolas is already quite inebriated. Surprised that they brought presents at all, he tells them to put the trinkets in his room and spends most of the rest of the night ignoring them. This gives Marie and Francis too much time alone to discuss Nicolas, thinly veiling their jealousies as they watch him dance with his madcap mother on the dance floor while The Knife's "Pass It On" plays loudly.
Trip to the Country
The morning after Nicolas' party, he wakes up in the middle of Marie and Francis, who have conveniently slept over with the excuse of being too drunk to leave. After he wakes up, Nicolas suggests that they go to his mother's vacation house in the country. Marie and Francis eagerly accept the invitation and Marie leaves with Nicolas to buy some cigarettes before venturing on the trip--leaving Francis the opportunity to masturbate fervently to the scent of Nicolas' t-shirt. Strange love, indeed.
Once the trio has settled in, they take the time to sit around a fire and roast marshmallows. At this point in the film, both Francis and Marie's obsession with Nicolas has reached its zenith. When Nicolas starts feeding Francis a marshmallow and instructing him on how to savor it, Marie excuses herself in a huff.
Upon awakening the next morning, Marie sees Francis and Nicolas sleeping by the fire from her vantage point on the balcony. Assuming the worst, she packs up her clothes and tells them she has to leave. Francis chases her down and engages in a scuffle as the very dramatically themed "Keep the Streets Empty for Me" by Fever Ray fuels the climactic result of their rivalry. Nicolas waits for them to finish fighting, merely uttering, "Love me or leave me" in response.
Sweet Revenge
Francis and Marie's friendship suffers in the wake of their confrontation, both of them still vying for Nicolas' love. After Nicolas listens to Francis pour his heart out about how much he wants to with him, Nicolas coldly replies, "How could you think I was gay?"
Marie endures a similar reaction when she runs into Nicolas in the street and shyly asks him if he received the love letter she sent him. Though she tries to pass it off as having intended to send it to someone else, she asks if--hypothetically--he would have responded favorably to the admission of her love. He rejects her apathetically and continues on his way.
Everything comes full-circle a year after Marie and Francis confess their love for Nicolas. Eventually reconciling their differences, the duo runs into him at a party. It is obvious that Nicolas expects that they will still be enamored of him. Instead, they stare at him mutely until Francis emits a noise that encapsulates both of their mutual disgust for Nicolas.
The cycle then begins again when Marie and Francis lock eyes with another man who is looking in their general direction. The film concludes with the two of them both making a beeline to approach the latest object of desire.
Heartbeats and Sexuality
What is most striking about Heartbeats is its reflection of sexuality in the twenty-first century. In an era when people are more and more comfortable with exploring their preferences for both genders openly, it has become more and more difficult to discern allegiances.
If it is easy to flit from one gender to another, casually showing affection one day and then withdrawing it the next, how can one ever really be certain of what is genuine and what is detached experimentation? Heartbeats mulls over this newfound plight of the current generation of singles with remarkable incisiveness.
Genna Rivieccio - Genna Rivieccio's brain was designed specifically to retain an amalgam of pop culture images, references, and sound bites.
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