Cinevegas, Day 2: Harmony and Me
By far the best film I saw at Cinevegas. I almost didn’t see it, because the tagline was “A physical comedy about yearning.” Not very intriguing. But having seen it, and sitting here trying to aptly sum up the film, that brief synopsis is strangely fitting, in both tone and content.
Harmony and Me is a lightning fast post-romantic comedy—information is so compacted that you only really need see what is absolutely essential. As a result, there are probably twice the number of really solid laughs in half the time of a regular film.
The material and characters were instantly relatable—who hasn’t been through a break-up they never thought they’d get over? (Also, Justin Rice looks a lot like Tim Lincecum/Steve Mucci.) The integration of music was probably the most impressive element for me. What usually comes off as a trite device in indie films is given lots of screen time, and with great reward (except the central song, which is rather boring). Byington’s shooting style—60fps digital—is surprisingly easy to get used to, as it lends itself well to the realism of the film, and even helps the story feel that much more genuine.
The end was a bit of deus ex machina, but all in all, an incredibly solid feature that I can’t wait to see again. 4.5/5.
