Francis is a young gay man, Marie is a young straight woman and the two of them are best friends -- until the day the gorgeous Nicolas walks into a Montreal coffee shop. The two friends, instantly and equally infatuated, compete for Nicolas' indeterminate affections, a conflict that climaxes when the trio visit the vacation home of Nicolas' mother. The frothy comedy unfolds through narrative, fantasy sequences and confessional monologues.
Not too deep but oh so pretty, "Heartbeats" presents a hyper-stylized look at a love triangle, a sort of "Jules and Jim" for millennials.
– Colin Covert,
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
31 Mar 2011
fresh:
There are moments of heartbreaking beauty in it - although Dolan is still a work in progress. He'll get better - he's immensely talented - but he's not quite there yet.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr 2011
rotten:
Spends 100 minutes dispensing painful examples of how infatuation turns people into idiots.
– Stephanie Merry,
Washington Post,
15 Apr 2011
fresh:
Ultimately what makes "Heartbeats" tick is that it's less about love objects and more about friends who are stuck with each other, for better or worse.
– Joe Williams,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
29 Apr 2011
fresh:
It can seem as if style is all in Dolan's films, but as well as revelling in its pleasures, they also dissect its limitations - sometimes without anaesthetic.