Andrea Dorfman speaks about her Hali-film, Heartbeat
Heartbeat centers around Justine, a young musician-turned-copywriter. It’s not that Justine hates her life – it’s that she can’t seem to move forward in it.
Her best friends are having kids, her ex is moving on, and yet she’s still stuck in the same place. She can’t move on until she finds herself – not through a love interest or having children, but by facing her own fears of performing her music.
The soundtrack is fitting and catchy, written partly in collaboration with the lead actress, Tanya Davis. The cinematography is beautiful, and it really shows of all the colors and landscapes that Halifax in the fall has to offer. It’s fun to be watching the film and suddenly catch a glimpse of a location as familiar as Citadel Hill.
Despite the fact that it is the first film performance of some actors, including Tanya, Heartbeat is well-acted, with memorable dialogue and complex, relatable characters. The animated portion of the film blends in well with the live action, and gives the movie an original, slightly indie feel that definitely matches the soundtrack.
It’s a very local film, and it’s great to see Halifax on screen rather than another film about Toronto or Vancouver.
Andrea Dorfman is originally from Ontario, but came to Halifax for school and stayed there.
She’s an experienced writer and director, and this is her second collaboration with Tanya Davis, after their very popular Youtube video poem, “How To Be Alone”.
Her favorite part of directing is “the collaborative experience… bringing people together and bringing out their talent.”
In Heartbeat, she wanted to explore Halifax’s local talent, as well as the beautiful landscape and colors that the city has to offer. That being said, Heartbeat is more than just a “love letter to Halifax.”
“[Heartbeat] Is a universal story, about someone who is on the edge of becoming who they need to but doing what other people think she should be doing,” Andrea says.
Along with the theme of metamorphosis, Heartbeat deals with the applicable problems of love, between either yourself or someone else, and the difficulty of following your dreams. Justine ends up not being defined by her love interest – they actually help her grow as a musician and gain confidence in her art. It’s a nice change from the predictable, if enjoyable, love triangles and romance sub-plots in so many Hollywood movies.
Ultimately, this is a film about making art, even when it’s difficult or terrifying. Even talented people can become unsure of their talents or lose sight of their dreams, and Heartbeat shows that, in Andrea’s words, “unless we move towards what our hearts want, we won’t become the people we need to be.”
The film concludes with a satisfying ending, and the relationships and life that Justine once found so difficult have become clear and uncomplicated. With a stunning color scheme, awesome cinematography and actors that give life to their roles, it is definitely worth watching on the big screen.
Heartbeat opens in theatres on November 21st, in Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver.
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