Friday, July 21 | 8 pm
Saturday, July 22 | 8 pm
Sunday, July 23 | 5:30 pm
Winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Harmonium skillfully merges two traditional Japanese film genres—the revenge thriller and the family melodrama—producing a consistently surprising variation on time-honored moral and existential themes. Successful small business owner Toshio enjoys a tranquil home life with his devoutly Christian wife Akie and his young daughter Hotaru, until his old friend Yasaka (Tadanobu Asano)—recently released from prison—appears at his door looking for work and a place to stay. Unfailingly industrious and polite, the enigmatic Yasaka quietly insinuates himself into Toshio’s personal and professional affairs, until a shocking reversal of fortunes changes the lives of both men and their families in profound and unexpected ways. Directed with icy restraint by Kōji Fukada, the result is an ambitious, darkly compelling meditation on sin, family ties, the fragility of happiness, and the possibility of redemption.
Director Kōji Fukada | 2016 | In Japanese with English subtitles | 120 minutes | NR | DCP
