Independent Film Festival Boston 2010

Jessica just broke up with Harmony (Justin Rice, MUTUAL APPRECIATION, IFFBoston 2005), and he’s not dealing with it very well. He wears a locket with her picture in it around his neck and tells everyone who will listen about how she’s breaking his heart. He practices clever things to say when he runs into her. And he totally won’t give back her yoga mat.

At his dead-end job, one of Harmony’s bosses (Pat Healy, GREAT WORLD OF SOUND, IFFBoston 2007) ignores his pain, while another only has one day to live. His friends are no help: Carlos (Kevin Corrigan, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS) won’t even admit Jessica is pretty, while Mike (Alex Karpovsky, BEESWAX, IFFBoston 2009) only offers acupuncture appointments, Russian sitcoms, and the example of his own dysfunctional marriage as therapy.

With its deadpan humor, quirky characters, and a huge dollop of charm, HARMONY AND ME explores what happens when one person can’t understand why another person doesn’t care. Writer/director Bob Byington makes great use of his hilarious cast, including putting Rice (lead singer of indie rock band Bishop Allen) behind a microphone, piano, or guitar, improvising wonderfully wry ditties whenever possible. The result is an offbeat gem about modern heartbreak and finding the little things that really make you happy.

–Kristina Aikens