Harmonium is a film that I watched the trailer for but didn't think much of trying to watch the film. Nothing in the trailer really jumped out at me and I've had a history of watching indie Japanese films then getting burned holes in my pockets. Some of these kinds of films are super slow moving too so I loose interest pretty fast. I do try to wait out some of the these films because I spent my hard earned money on them. Fukada Koji directed Harmonium as the film went on to win a Jury prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and was also nominated in a few other categories. Veteran actor, Asano Tadanobu stars in the film along side Tsutsui Mariko, and Furutachi Kanji.
A man just released from jail and appears in front of his long time friends house asking work and a place to stay. His friend decides to let him stay with them but his presence in the household comes at a price. Soon the family starts the crumble around the man as secrets from the past resurface and problems in the family began to show.
Harmonium is actually a film that made me like it's contents during viewing. I was honestly very surprised at how good this film was considering the trailer doesn't spark a hint of excitement from the viewer. There's a creepy aura about this film that slowly moves behind you and the characters throughout it's duration. Stripped down, the film is a family drama that's as plain as they comes but the plot wastes no time getting to the exciting central conflict. It uses methods that don't use flashy transitions or ton of screen play. Just the characters acting within the plot. The plot deals with Karma coming back on a person no matter how long ago you did something wrong. If your due to get that back, you will be paid back eventually. Don't put out in the world what you don't want back in return. A man's friend comes to live and work with a friends family. However, the script doesn't actually ever tell viewers if he was there for revenge or not. The family has problems of their own creating bigger rips in the gapping holes that were leaking out blood in the foundation of the family. The friend only made their problems worse by ripping the bandaid off these holes that the family continued the patch up themselves. Then there's a big secret that the father of the family kept hidden for many years…. So the real dark and mysterious charm about Harmonium is that you're left to decide if the family destroyed themselves from the inside out or was the appearance of his "friend"the mastermind. Many of you might think that was the latter. One thing I do know is that the flow of the plot keeps you glued to the screen in order to find out what happens next. Think of Harmonium as a "secrets under the wooden floorboards of the family house" type of film. The creaks coming from the floorboards don't lie.
All three lead actors and actress made this film work. Had it not been for their acting, this film would have been almost nothing. Their characters's facial expressions, actions, and emotions are a huge driving factor in the plot being as interesting as it was. Performances in the film were heartbreakingly on the borderline of being insane. I give huge props to the whole cast for making Harmonium a film to remember.
Many shots are the country side of Japan in a small town. I believe the most cinematic shots were toward the end where there was traveling involved. These scenes were nice to look at while the scenes done in the house felt claustrophobic. Almost like a person would run out of their traditional Japanese style home if he or she stayed in their too long. Scenes in their home are also dimly lit at times in the film. My favorite scene was one that was towards the film's conclusion that features the ocean. It's a sad scene full of symbolism.
I would watch Harmonium a couple more times in the the future. This film is very engaging for people that like films based on drama. There's enough content in this film to make you gasp till the film's shocking conclusion. Funny that this film is shocking without trying too hard to be.
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