Heart Beat (2016)

Directed by: Hans Somers | 90 minutes | comedy, drama, family | Actors: Vajèn van den Bosch, Stephanie van Eer, Rein van Duivenboden, Monsif Bakkali, Jelka van Houten, Martijn Fischer, Vivienne van den Assem, Eric van Sauers, Holly Mae Brood, Bas Hoeflaak, Geza Weisz, Britt Scholte, Tara Hetharia, Joy Wielkens, Hans Somers, Lisa Lapré, Sander Plukaard, Yannick Jozefzoon, Barbara Pouwels

Rein van Duivenboden is not exactly a name that rings a bell for anyone older than twenty-five years old. But the image of the young Brabander adorns many teenage girls’ rooms. Van Duivenboden was part of the boy band MainStreet from 2011 to 2016, together with three other boys he knew from the auditions of the TV talent show ‘The Voice Kids’. The foursome took part in the Junior Song Contest in 2012 and scored a number of hits. MainStreet also made history by being the first boy band in 2013 to enter the Dutch album charts at number 1 with their debut album. The boys’ success knew no bounds – opening for Justin Bieber, flying across the country as freedom ambassadors performing at liberation festivals, biography and documentary – but everything comes to an end. And so in 2016, much to the chagrin of all the fans (who call themselves ‘Mainiacs’), a farewell concert was given. With the breakup of the group, the boys can finish school. Moreover, there is room for a new career. As an actor, for example, Van Duivenboden must have thought. He has the lead role in the teen film ‘Hart Beat’ (2016) by actor/director Hans Somers. Incidentally, another member of MainStreet, Daan Zwierink, also auditioned, but he lost out to his old buddy.

Mik (Rein van Duivenboden) is every teenage girl’s dream: the wildly popular singer has hordes of fans who would kill to meet him. Yet there is one girl who is not exactly awake from Mik, and that is Zoë (Vajèn van den Bosch). She is mainly concerned with the situation at home. Her father (Martijn Fischer) is a musician. Zoë always wrote songs with him, which they sang together. But Zoe’s mother (Jelka van Houten) has discovered that he has cheated on her with a younger woman and has shown him the door. Zoë has a hard time with it and decides for herself that she doesn’t want to make music anymore. But then one rainy day she is hit by Mik’s tour bus. Fortunately, she manages well herself, but her bike is a total loss. She immediately demands a new one from Mik, shocked by the accident. She is not at all impressed by his star status and thinks he is just a ‘glitterball’. Mik promises to arrange a new bicycle for her, but because his manager (Viviënne van de Assem) is always behind him, it just doesn’t happen. In the days that follow, Zoë runs into Mik again and again. On the one hand because she wants her bike, on the other hand because Mik secretly likes her quite a bit. And as they get closer to each other, it turns out they have more in common than Zoe initially thought. However, those around them have no intention of letting the two get closer, each for their own reasons.

‘Heart Beat’ is a musical film for swooning girls. The plot is very predictable and the characters are clichéd. The adult reels in particular are as flat as a dime. And that while, for example, Van Houten, Fischer and Eric van Sauers (who plays a record card with dollar signs in his eyes) have proven in the past that they can really do something. The younger guard doesn’t fare much better. Both Zoë and Mik have a ‘sidekick’ who gets on their nerves (respectively a jealous poser who hangs their friendship on a laundry list of rules and a good-for-nothing who thinks he has talent as a rapper) and Holly Mae Brood shows up in an enlarged role as a diva with a shortage of talent but a surplus of haircuts. And Rein van Duivenboden has a nice face and a reasonable voice, but he could really use some acting lessons. The contrast with Vajèn van den Bosch, the only one who knows how to make something out of her role, is great. Van den Bosch is still young but already has the necessary experience in film, TV and theater and has a beautiful voice. There is no question of any chemistry with Van Duivenboden, but that is not her fault.

It is therefore thanks to Van den Bosch that ‘Hart Beat’, despite its mediocrity, looks great. Put yourself in the target audience – teenage girls who dream of a Justin Bieber-esque type who takes them into his world – and adjust your expectations, then it’s not all that bad.