Adele Exarchopoulos’s Next, ‘Beating Hearts,’ Is a Mishmash of Genres

Actor-turned-director Giles Lellouche’s latest effort, Beating Hearts (L’Amour Ouf), got its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 23, prompting a 15-minute standing ovation.

A mishmash of genres, the film primarily focuses on romance with elements of comedy, music, and crime blended in. Beating Hearts is a co-production between France and Belgium and is set to get a theatrical release in France by StudioCanal on October 16, 2024. While the film was able to capture international distributors leading up to its release, it remains to be seen which American company will pick up the ambitious project for a U.S. release.

Adapted from the 1997 Irish novel Jackie Loves Johnser OK? by Neville Thompson, the story spans 20 years and follows a romance between two people with entirely opposite personalities. Jackie (Adele Exarchopoulos) is a perceptive girl with a rebellious streak, who falls madly in love with Clotaire (Francois Civil), a hot-headed teenage boy. Certain events lead to Clotaire becoming a criminal and eventually being jailed for 12 years, and how the pair tries to re-ignite their passion for each other forms the rest of the plot.

In terms of the main cast, Civil and Exarchopoulos are joined by Malik Frikah and Mallory Wanecque, who play their younger versions, respectively. Alain Chabat, Anthony Bajon, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Vincent Lacoste, Benoit Poelvoorde, Elodie Bouchez, and Karim Leklou appear in pivotal roles. The screenplay is co-written by Lellouche, Audrey Diwan, Ahmed Hamidi, and Julien Lambroschini.

Lellouche’s sophomore film Sink or Swim was a resounding success at the box office, as it made a $35 million profit, and the director is surely hoping some of it rubs off on Beating Hearts, as well. The film’s budget is around the $30 million mark, and it took Lellouche more than a decade to finish the script, with filming taking close to four months. The film is set to feature a classic ’90s soundtrack, with the likes of The Cure, Jay-Z, Billy Idol, and Depeche Mode on board.

You can check out the trailer for Beating Hearts here.