With Every Heartbeat

The authenticity and chemistry between Mia and Frida was truly astonishing. The story was beautifully written and directed, it really held my attention throughout the film. I personally would've liked to see a little more backstory of Mia/Frida, either way, it's worth the watch.

I wrote this after I watching the movie for a second time and I still felt as emotionally connected as I did when I first watched it, which is rare for me. This is definitely one of those films I'll keep coming back to.

[spoiler]The ending was great, but ugh, I'd so love to see a follow-up story of their new life together.[/spoiler]

Liked: Leads have great chemistry together. Even simple scenes of holding each others look, you feel the magnetic pull between the two, culminating in their first kiss which is filled with softness and longing looks. You feel the push and pull between their attraction and their responsibilities to their SOs. Each trying not to bend or break under the lives they've known (and the parents, respectively) while taking steps towards the other in an inevitable collision course between their hearts (and bodies); The director (and actresses) do a great job portraying Mia and Frida's different emotions in each of the sex scenes, each showing us where their hearts and thoughts are within each meeting of their bodies. Their first encounter filled with lust, passion and a need they can't control, focusing only on their movements and breathing, no other sounds but them. Their second encounter comes as they give in to their attraction, no longer denying how much they can't handle being apart. A montage of sweet kisses, soft touches and holding each other in soft light, hidden away from the harshness of reality. While their third, and final, meeting is placed after an emotional night of pouring their hearts out, putting on display their hopes, dreams and fears of what the light of reality will bring. It's a night filled with urgency and sorrowful grasps at the other, of making the most out of their limited time together before heading back to lives that no longer feel their own. Each sex scene a visual representation of what's in their hearts.

Issues: Another film where women fall in love with each other while being in relationships with other people. There is no reasonable setup with either Frida's or Mia's backstories/relationships to suggest they were unhappy. At the beginning of the film Mia has just gotten engaged to long time boyfriend. Shortly after the film makes a point of showing Frida express how much she hates cheating and people who cheat, it being something she would never do or consider (as it's implied she was cheated on too), yet within a couple of days of meeting Mia she sleeps with her. Frida at no point mentions having a girlfriend, until almost half way through the film, shocking the audience with her infidelity. From Mia's perspective, we don't get a sense of her relationship being in trouble. Many of the conflicts shown between Mia and Tim are shown as frustrations on the part of Mia or issues relating to Mia's father pushed onto Tim.

However, I would have loved more setup of dissatisfaction with their respective relationships, specially after Frida's very vocally expressing she would never cheat and hated cheaters. Instead of Frida talking about cheating, I would have cut this scene out for something expressing what her perception of love and marriage was. Setting up how off guard her attraction to Mia was and how it shock her to the core. I would have liked to see more of a setup from Mia's side of her dissatisfaction with her life and, as implied, not fighting against her relationship to Tim as part of what was acceptable for her (from her father) from society.

Overall: The chemistry between Mia and Frida is palpable, pulling you in on their emotional rollarcoaster as they fall into attraction, into lust, into heartache and ultimately into love. The issue of cheating is overlooked in favor of the drama and heartache of discovering each other.

AKA “Kiss Me” (2011) on Tubi. Swedish film with Swedish and Spanish actresses