Heartbeat Detector
Encyclopedia
Heartbeat Detector is a 2007 French film directed by Nicolas Klotz
and starring Mathieu Amalric
.
department of the French branch of a long-established German firm. The firm has recently dismissed 50% of its workforce on criteria devised by Kessler. Rose, the vice-president of the company, requests Kessler to look into whether Jüst, the CEO is fit to do his job. The CEO discovers Kessler is investigating him and tells him that Rose, whose previous name was Kraus, has a Nazi past.
Kessler then discovers that Jüst's father headed a Nazi extermination group on the Eastern Front during World War II
. Jews placed in the back of a closed truck were killed with the truck's exhaust gas. A device called a 'heartbeat detector' was then applied to discover any who had survived. Tormented by this memory Jüst attempts suicide.
The action then shifts from the company's politics to the Holocaust. An analogy is drawn between company downsizing and extermination.
Nicolas Klotz
-Filmography:*Rendez-vous avec Marguerite 1983*The Bengali Night 1988 with Hugh Grant, Shabana Azmi and Soumitra Chatterjee*La Nuit sacrée 1993 with Goran Bregović*Chants of Sand and Stars 1996*Pariah 2000*The Wound 2004*Dans la peau de.....
and starring Mathieu Amalric
Mathieu Amalric
Mathieu Amalric is a French actor and film director, perhaps best known internationally for his performance as the lead villain in Bond film Quantum Of Solace and for his role in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, for which he drew critical acclaim...
.
Plot
The film centers on Kessler, a psychologist in the human resourcesHuman resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
department of the French branch of a long-established German firm. The firm has recently dismissed 50% of its workforce on criteria devised by Kessler. Rose, the vice-president of the company, requests Kessler to look into whether Jüst, the CEO is fit to do his job. The CEO discovers Kessler is investigating him and tells him that Rose, whose previous name was Kraus, has a Nazi past.
Kessler then discovers that Jüst's father headed a Nazi extermination group on the Eastern Front during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Jews placed in the back of a closed truck were killed with the truck's exhaust gas. A device called a 'heartbeat detector' was then applied to discover any who had survived. Tormented by this memory Jüst attempts suicide.
The action then shifts from the company's politics to the Holocaust. An analogy is drawn between company downsizing and extermination.
Cast
- Mathieu AmalricMathieu AmalricMathieu Amalric is a French actor and film director, perhaps best known internationally for his performance as the lead villain in Bond film Quantum Of Solace and for his role in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, for which he drew critical acclaim...
as Simon Kessler - Michael LonsdaleMichael LonsdaleMichael Lonsdale , sometimes billed as Michel Lonsdale, is a French actor who has appeared in over 180 films and television shows....
as Mathias Jüst - Laetitia Spigarelli as Louisa
- Delphine Chuillot as Isabelle
- Edith ScobÉdith ScobEdith Scob is a French actress, best known for her role as the daughter with a disfigured face in Eyes Without a Face.Edith Scob has had several roles in European film and television and is married to Georges Aperghis....
as Lucy Jüst - Jean-Pierre KalfonJean-Pierre KalfonJean-Pierre Kalfon is a French film and television actor.-Selected filmography:* The Rabbi's Cat * Parc * The Dreamers * Lulu * La Repetition...
as Karl Rose - Rémy Carpentier as Jacques Paolini
Performances
There are two consecutive performances that the main character watches, one by a flamenco singer Miguel Poveda, the other by a Portuguese group.Awards and nominations
- Copenhagen Film FestivalCopenhagen International Film FestivalCopenhagen International Film Festival is a film festival held in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was first held in 2003, and is held annually. The main award at the Copenhagen International Film Festival is the Golden Swan, which will be awarded for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best...
(Denmark)- Won: Golden Swan - Best Actor (Mathieu Amalric)
- César Awards (France)
- Nominated: Best Actor – Supporting Role (Michael Lonsdale)
- Gijón Film FestivalGijón International Film FestivalGijón International Film Festival was created in 1963. It was born as an initiative of the local authority and it was sponsored mainly by Gijón City Council and the then Caja de Ahorros de Asturias ; both institutions are still the main organisers of the festival, along with funding from the...
(Spain)- Won: Best Actor (Mathieu Amalric)
- Won: Best Art Direction (Antoine Platteau)
- Nominated: Grand Prix Asturias - Best Feature (Nicolas Klotz)
- São Paulo Film FestivalSão Paulo International Film FestivalThe São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
(Brazil)- Won: Critics Award - International (Nicolas Klotz)
External links
Interview with Mathieu Amalric and Nicolas Klotz from evene.fr- Review at the Chicago International Film Festival site.
- Review from The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterFormerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...