His role is to assess potential employees and to organise motivational seminars for staff and he is a real company man.

Completely trusted by his managers, he suddenly finds himself with a new job in Heartbeat Detector, a French film of two halves.

Concerns have been raised about the mental health of the company director and Simon must find a way to assess him.

This leads to revelations involving the events and horrors of World War II and their effects on ordinary lives.

Saying any more would ruin an intriguing, thought-provoking and enjoyable plot that will be in your mind long after the credits roll.

Based on La Question Humaine, a book by Francois Emmanual, Nocolas Klotz' Heartbeat Detector examines capitalism, politics and the bright young things of industry and draws links to a horrible period of history.

Simon's success, for example, has involved helping the company halve its staff.

Another tremendous performance is given by Mathieu Amalric as Simon. Amalric proved his talents in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
He gives great depth to a modern character forced to face up to consequences of all kinds.

For a preview of the film, click here

Heartbeat Detector (12A) is at Brighton's Duke of York Cinema from May 23 to 29.

To book tickets or find out more click here

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