''Heartbeat'' is a 2014 Canadian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Andrea Dorfman Andrea Dorfman (born October 29, 1968) is a Canadian screenwriter and film director based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She directed the Emmy Award films '' Flawed'' (2010) and ''Big Mouth'' (2012).Dorfman, Andrea. "Andreadorfman.com , About." Andrea ...

. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the

2014 Toronto International Film Festival The 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, the 39th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held in Canada from 4–14 September 2014. David Dobkin's film '' The Judge'', starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duv ...

. The film stars poet and musician Tanya Davis as Justine, an unfulfilled advertising

copywriter Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or ...

who dreams of becoming a musician but struggles with

stage fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

Plot

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.

Critical reception

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 6.88/10. 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".

Cast

* Tanya Davis as Justine * Stephanie Clattenburg as Ruby * Kristin Langille as Lorna * Glen Matthews as Drew *

Jackie Torrens Jackie Torrens is a Canadian actress, writer and filmmaker based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Acting She began her career as an actress, most notably being cast as the frumpy but shrewd office mana ...

as Louise * Stewart Legere as Ben * Jim Henman as Arlo * Naomi Blackhall-Butler as Maureen

References

External links

* 2014 films 2014 drama films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Andrea Dorfman Films shot in Nova Scotia 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films {{2010s-Canada-film-stub