"Harmony Lessons" - is a leisurely, or rather very slow film. Its slowness is expressed in the complete absence of dynamics, a huge part of the frames are shot from the background, Aslan is constantly silent, there is almost no music in the film and the only thing we can hear in many scenes is the sounds of the environment. And the beauty of this film is that this slowness is perfect for it. Everything in the film works for understanding. Calm shots, often arranged in geometrically precise figures, the absence of music, Aslan's silence - all this creates the harmony that is so important for the main character; these directorial techniques complement the dramaturgy of the picture and help to accurately understand the film.
Here all the techniques work like gears in a watch. "Chekhov's Gun," which always fires in this film, is a subtle work with the viewer's emotions. Baigazin used a storytelling technique when they talk about something in lesson scenes, and in the following scenes the viewer is shown how it resonates with reality.
Aslan's dreams and many subtle details in the frames help to understand his desire for purity.
Baigazin did a titanic job; this is a film in which the plot cannot be considered separately from the director's work - everything in this film works for each other. The narrative is told not only through the plot, but also through various directorial techniques, which adds interest.
The denouement of the film is surprising, and in the second part even the scenes change in construction.
In conclusion, I want to say that "Harmony Lessons" - perfect, but hard to watch movie.
10/10.
