Heartbeat

Joy, sadness, doubt and relief rush by in this short film, shot 25 years ago, about two filmmakers trying to have a child while simultaneously going through a relationship crisis. This intensely personal account shows how those things can go hand in hand, capturing tender bedroom conversations, heated arguments and tense medical appointments.

As often in Jay Rosenblatt’s work, the setting is almost uncomfortably intimate, making the film a fitting addition to the oeuvre of the two-time Oscar-nominated director. As in How Do You Measure a Year? (2021), which Heartbeat is a prequel to, Rosenblatt turns the camera on his loved ones and, reluctantly, on himself.