De battre mon coeur s'est arrêt

Ahhhh. Romain Duris. Does every one else in the world love this man too? I discovered him frolicking in a fountain at the beginning of the film Exiles (2004) and have been a fan ever since. Great. I went to Jacques Audiard's film De battre mon coeur s'est arrêt (The beat my heart skipped) on a whim. Attracted by the beautiful man on the poster and the word "gangster" in the blurb. The film was captivating, fresh and unexpectedly noir. The opening scene drew me in. Two men are sitting, smoking, drinking beer, one man talking about the role reversal that happens so suddenly with parents and children, the other fiddling incessantly with a lighter. Straight away the characters were smouldering and intense. And it just continued to unfold from there: A story of love, self discovery, filial duty, the modern world, money and choices. Quietly commenting on the duality within us all and the clash of art and life and desire and existence.