120 Beats per Minute

120 Beats per Minute

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Robin Campillo
Produced by
Written by
  • Robin Campillo
  • Philippe Mangeot
Starring
  • Nahuel Pérez Biscayart
  • Arnaud Valois
  • Adèle Haenel
  • Antoine Reinartz
Music by Arnaud Rebotini
Cinematography Jeanne Lapoirie
Edited by
  • Robin Campillo
  • Anita Roth
  • Stephanie Leger
Production
company
Distributed by Memento Films
Release date
  • 20 May 2017 (2017-05-20) (Cannes)
  • 23 August 2017 (2017-08-23) (France)
Running time
 135 minutes
Country France
Language French

120 Beats per Minute (French: 120 battements par minute), also known as BPM (Beats per Minute), is a 2017 French drama film directed by Robin Campillo and starring Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois and Adèle Haenel. The film is about homosexuality and the AIDS epidemic, set in France in the 1990s. Campillo and co-screenwriter Philippe Mangeot drew on their personal experiences with ACT UP in developing the story.

It had its world premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, followed by screenings at other festivals. At Cannes it won critical acclaim and four awards, including the Grand Prix.

Plot

Set in the early 1990s, the film depicts a group of HIV/AIDS activists associated with the Paris chapter of ACT UP.

Cast

Production

Director Robin Campillo co-wrote the screenplay, describing himself as "an ACT UP militant in the '90s",[1] meaning he did not have to carry out any other investigation into how to accurately portray the experience. One scene was also based on his experience with the AIDS epidemic, as he said "I've dressed up a boyfriend on his death".[1] Co-screenwriter Philippe Mangeot was also involved in ACT UP.[2]

At Cannes, Campillo explained his decision to go ahead with directing the film, saying "BPM is above all a film I wanted to make where the force of words transforms into pure moments of action".[3] The budget of $5 million was raised in months.[1]

Release

Director Robin Campillo and his cast attend the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

The film had its world premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2017.[4] On 24 June, it went to the Moscow International Film Festival,[5] followed by the New Zealand International Film Festival in July.[6] With the number of films at the Toronto International Film Festival being reduced from 2016, 120 Beats per Minute was nevertheless selected for the 2017 festival in September.[7]

At Cannes, The Orchard acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[8] It is scheduled to be released in France on 23 August 2017.[9]

Reception

Critical reception

120 Beats per Minute received critical acclaim. It holds a 96% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 24 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.6/10.[10] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

Jada Yuan, writing for Vulture.com, spoke of being moved to tears by the film, praising it as "a unique, intimate portrait of the community from the inside".[12] The Toronto Star's Peter Howell observed French critics at Cannes were generally excited about it and opined it deserved a top award.[13] The Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney positively reviewed the dialogue and the youthful cast, while criticizing the pace.[14] Tim Robey, writing for The Daily Telegraph, gave it three of five stars, complimenting the comedic moments and a sex scene, balancing awareness of risk, with one character being HIV positive, and sexiness.[15] Vanity Fair critic Richard Lawson hailed it as a "half sober and surveying docudrama, half wrenching personal illness narrative".[16] Lawson and Hollywood Reporter critics compared the film to the play The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer.[1][14][16]

Accolades

It competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. [17][18] In July 2017, it was listed among 10 films in competition for the Lux Prize.[19]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Cannes Film Festival 17-28 March 2017 Grand Prix Robin Campillo Won [20]
FIPRESCI Prize Won [21]
François Chalais Prize Won [22][23]
Queer Palm Won
Lux Prize November 2017 Best Film Pending [19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kilday, Gregg (20 May 2017). "Cannes: '120 Beats Per Minute' Director Says 'I Was an ACT UP Militant'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  2. ↑ Regnier, Isabelle (20 May 2017). "Cannes 2017 : avec « 120 battements par minute », les corps en lutte d’Act Up conquièrent les cœurs". Le Monde. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  3. ↑ Gilchrist, Tracy E. (28 May 2017). "AIDS Activism Movie 120 Beats Per Minute Honored with Prestigious Award at Cannes". The Advocate. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "2017 Screenings Guide" (PDF). festival-cannes.com. Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "120 BEATS PER MINUTE". Moscow International Film Festival. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  6. ↑ Gibson, Nevil (27 June 2017). "Cannes trifecta of winners take top slots at NZ International Film Festival". National Business Review. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Howell, Peter (25 July 2017). "TIFF announces first batch of this year’s movies — including two Matt Damon films". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  8. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (23 May 2017). "The Orchard Lands Cannes Competition Pic ‘BPM’; Samuel Goldwyn Inhales Tribeca’s ‘Holy Air’". Deadline.com. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  9. ↑ "120 Battements par Minute". Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE) (120 BATTEMENTS PAR MINUTE)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "120 Beats Per Minute". Metacritic. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  12. ↑ Yuan, Jada (26 May 2017). "The French AIDS-Crisis Film That Had Journalists Weeping at Cannes". Vulture.com. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  13. ↑ Howell, Peter (26 May 2017). "And the Palme d’Or at Cannes goes to — who knows?: Howell". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  14. 1 2 Rooney, David (20 May 2017). "'120 Beats Per Minute' ('120 Battements par minute'): Film Review, Cannes 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  15. ↑ Robey, Tim (26 May 2017). "Cannes 2017, 120 Beats Per Minute review: a vitally erotic, moving ode to activism". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  16. 1 2 Lawson, Richard (20 May 2017). "AIDS Drama 120 Beats Per Minute Is a Vital New Gay Classic". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  17. ↑ "The 2017 Official Selection". Cannes. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "2017 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup: Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, ‘Twin Peaks’ and More". IndieWire. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Official Selection". European Parliament. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  20. ↑ Debruge, Peter (28 May 2017). "2017 Cannes Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Variety. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  21. ↑ Hopewell, John (27 May 2017). "Cannes Critics Prize ‘BPM,’ Closeness,’ ’Nothing Factory’". Variety. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  22. ↑ "EXCLUSIVITÉ TÊTU : Tous les films en compétition de la Queer Palm au Festival de Cannes". Têtu, 4 May 2017.
  23. ↑ "Cannes 2017 : 120 battements par minute décroche la Queer Palm" [Cannes 2017: 120 Beats per Minute wins the Queer Palm]. Ecran Noir (in French). 27 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
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