Review. Interpretation. Observations. Spoilers.-
The last film I saw at CIFF 2013 was a character study called Harmony Lessons written and directed by Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin. The film revolves entirely about a 13-year old boy named Aslan who lives with his grandmother in a crime-ridden village in Kazakhstan. His school is shown to be run by its students. They work with each other through a certain heirarchy. And in this social code, we find Aslan to be a complete misfit.
Some kids at school trick Aslan into degrading himself
unknowingly, only to laugh at him later. He is humiliated and ostracized. But
the quiet and detached Aslan lets it slide, comfortably withdrawing into his
own internal world. You don’t ever get to know Aslan well enough to be able to
root for or empathize with him, but you are always intrigued by him.
