“Heartbeats” | Hipster drama
*** STAR RATING (out of 4)
Unrated. 1 hour 42 minutes. Xavier Dolan, Monia Chokri. At the Chez Artiste.
Provocative young Canadian indie filmmaker Xavier Dolan seems fascinated by relationships. His “Les Amours Imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”), features best friends — a girl and a guy, straight and gay, respectively — both falling for the same enigmatic young poet.
Our troika of possible young lovers comprises Marie (Monia Chokri), Francis (Dolan) and Nico (Niels Schneider), the handsome blond hunk making bedroom eyes at both — or so they think.
Dolan, who wrote, directed, edited, art-directed and costume-designed the film, in addition to starring, has a great feel for hip Montreal sophisticates, bright 20-somethings whose dinner parties reek of vintage chic and deep conversations.
He also has a great eye. With cinematographer Stephanie-Anne Weber Biron, they’ve made “Heartbeats” into a stylish affair about mating cues and miscues — all on nearly no budget.
It all makes “Heartbeats” a delightful romance of surprising depth, and Dolan, about to turn 22, someone you expect will be prodding and poking us to rethink things for years to come.
