Diamond or Dud: "Hearts Beat Loud"

The film Hearts Beat Loud is an intimate, slow-moving story that highlights the sweet relationship of Frank Fisher (Nick Offerman) and his daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons).

The overarching conflicts in this film are interwoven between the two characters.

There is much push and pull between father and daughter. Frank desires to spend more time with his daughter as Sam tries to put distance between them, perhaps to prepare for her departure for college. And yet, the conflicts are also extremely personal—while Sam is taking pre-med classes, she is also falling in love with her girlfriend, Rose (Sasha Lane). This inner debate rises within Sam—stay to be with Rose and compose music with her father, or go to UCLA to become a doctor. Meanwhile, Frank’s struggle is to keep the things closest to him in his life—his daughter, music, and his record store—or learn to let go.

This conflict is beautiful and subtle, bringing a sweet sense of longing for things that have been lost and hope for things to come.

A note-worthy scene is when Frank convinces Sam to record a “jam sesh.” Though reluctant at first, Sam starts to play melancholy chords on the keyboard. Soon the song picks up to an upbeat indie song, with Frank on the guitar in a music montage. Though this montage is almost mandatory in any movie about music, it is still extremely well done and sets the tone for the rest of the film. The music is infectious and makes the film really shine, with insane vocal control by Kiersey Clemons.

This familial relationship is something special to watch, treating each other as equals, with an added bit of tongue in cheek. An example of this is Sam, who still doesn’t want to invest too much time, says, “We’re not a band.” Just like a typical dad, Frank decides to call the band, “We’re not a band.”

Another scene that is worth mentioning is the slow, raw, and sweet performance of Nick Offerman singing about his daughter and deceased wife. This scene really slows down the film in just the right place and we are given the chance to have an intimate moment with Frank and Sam.

The real beauty of this film is the relationship between father and daughter. The supporting characters (played by Toni Collette, Blythe Danner, and Ted Danson) carry little weight and could lift right out of the film, with the exception of Rose (Lane).

My verdict of the film: It depends.

This slow indie film may not be for everybody. Where attention spans are more in-tune with fast-paced scenes, this film is slow and deliberate. The best thing about this film is that the audience is called to connect the dots during the storytelling. There are no heavy-handed moments pandering to the audience such as, “Mom died” or “I’m gay.” We just figure it out by being a fly on the wall. This is all due to the writer’s and filmmaker’s decision to not coddle the audience and to let the story breathe. This type of storytelling is much appreciated.

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