The simplest way to describe this Swedish flick is HOT. The sexual tension drips from the screen when two women meet, as their parents are about to marry. Mia (Ruth Vega Fernandez) arrives at her father's engagement party with her fiancé Tim when she meets Frida (Liv Mjönes). The attraction between the two women is palpable and spills over when thanks to magic of movie-making they end up alone together, on an island. It’s rare to see mind-blowingly believable fireworks between two women on the big screen, but this film provides one of the most memorable lesbian first kisses in cinema. And then we share the exquisite awkwardness of being stuck on an island with someone after a forbidden kiss. Things spill over and Mia is caught between giving in to her long repressed feelings and fighting for her new love, or remaining in the arms of her fiancé. The two actresses skilfully lead you through plenty of twists and turns as Mia struggles with the weight of her new reality. In the arms of a brilliant home-grown soundtrack, With Every Heartbeat explores buried feelings and the battle between chasing what you want and settling for what’s easy. The tender passion Ruth Vega Fernandez and Liv Mjönes evoke is tangible, and you may find it as hard as Mia not to get lost in Frida’s haunting blue-green eyes. An exquisite film that will play through your mind long after you have left the cinema. Showing again: Wellington: Saturday 8 Jun 8:30pm Jacqui Stanford - 4th June 2013