May 1, 2016
Everything about the “Harmony” is in between “Oh, it is awesome” and “EEhhh, does it make sense?” for me
I admit , I enjoyed the movie. First of all, sci fi is a relatively rare beast in animation production and a lover of a genre would probably appreciate any attempt. Besides, it was entertaining with a storyline unfolding dynamically and turning unexpectedly; it had memorable and beautifully crafted backgrounds; it was thought provoking … and it certainly provoked me to think what was actually wrong with the movie.
To tell a story is to cook a cake for happy guests, which
...
would enjoy a traditional taste or be amazed by an unexpected combination. “Harmony” cake was backed from futuristic sceneries, a concept of pseudo-utopian restricted society, questions about meaning of happiness, value of will and rebellion (pseudo-utopian society and rebellion is like bread and butter, right?). All the ingredients are recognizable and taste as expected. But… one may start to question was it a real flour or just a substitute or, even, was the cake prepared by loving hands of a grandma or stamped by soulless machine in a fabric! … Ok… In other words, the images and ideas in the movie seem to be taken from modern popular culture. They are well recognizable and succeed in telling an enjoyable story. They do not have depth and images are sometimes meaningless. But they make the work done, right? It is a good movie, I think …
Images (just a couple of moments, which characterize the movie the best)
From the start we can appreciate the stylish design of the movie environment. It is filled with symbolism which can be intuitively understood. Clear-cut, white mp3-player shaped device communicates using xml (or was it html?). It is expected from an mp3 player, right? It does not know Japanese or English… it has to communicate using tags… because it is programmed, it does not know better
The future was painted just like I would expect. Textured and patterned Middle East, rose-colored futuristic Tokyo with empty freeways and flesh of buildings growing and pulsing with blood vessels …. Stop, stop, stop… Flesh of buildings? I went overboard, but I certainly have seen it somewhere… Anyway, I say it looks like something designed to be expected of future. And Tokyo is rose-colored because it is interesting, looks good, and designer wanted it like this. Which I appreciate – the design is not obliged to be meaningful anyway. And I am in love with the scene with carpets!
Characters design is also noteworthy, but again it is hard not to spoil the movie. Shortly, the behavior of major characters, their mimic even their clothes where done prettily. But they may not not make any sense in a context of the environment. They were created to appeal, but had little meaning or functionality.
Story line (shallow spoilers)
Beautiful start - young girls on the border of adulthood and an ultimate rebellion against restraining healthcare dictatorship. But, this beautiful start does not have any meaning without manifestation of society problems. These problems were assumed in story development, hinted here and there, but they were not demonstrated explicitly enough to justify the development. The plot gives answers we recognize, even if the questions were not explicitly spoken. It creates a sentimental and moving environment … which seems a little bit empty. It is hard to illustrate without spoilers though...
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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